NEWS
Wallace Whittle’s Belfast team.
BELFAST MEP CONSULTANCY EXPANDING TEAM TO DRIVE GROWTH
Dan O’Shea.
ESG, sustainability and MEP consultancy Wallace Whittle has announced plans to double its headcount and increase the turnover of its Belfast office by 50% in 2025. Director Gavin McCausland is aiming to increase the firm’s Belfast team from 9 to 18 employees over the next year, following a move to new city centre offices at 1 Hill Street. Wallace Whittle has made similar investments in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen as part of a group-wide growth programme and operates its own Academy training centre delivering in-
depth training for staff from apprentices to senior managers. “We have a great team in Belfast that I am very proud of, and we plan to build on that as more projects are confirmed in the next few months,” said Gavin. “Our work in Northern Ireland has led to opportunities in other parts of the UK so we’re getting the chance to tackle a variety of projects in all kinds of sectors.” Recent projects include the £20m DVA test centre in Belfast and £23m The Edge student accommodation in Belfast. www.wallacewhittle.com
LONGFORD ELECTRICIAN NAMED
Dan O’Shea, a 20-year-old trainee electrician from Longford, has become the first Republic of Ireland contestant to lift the overall title of Screwfix Trade Apprentice. Wowing judges with his passion for renewable energy and inclusivity, Dan beat over 2,700 apprentices from across the UK and Ireland to secure the top prize of tools, training and technology worth €10,000 plus €2,000 of Screwfix vouchers for his college. Currently completing Phase 2 of his electrical apprenticeship with F White Electrical in Ballymahon, he took place in a two-day final in London judged by representatives from Screwfix, NICEIC, CIPHE and FMB. Following his father and uncle into the trade, he has become an advocate for vocational paths, creating a trade skills workshop for secondary school students and approaching local politicians to champion greater visibility for trade careers in secondary school education. “From learning new skills, meeting new people and working with the most advanced tools, there’s nothing I don’t love about the electrical trade,” said Dan. “Trades are always in demand, and I’d recommend apprenticeships to anyone.” www.screwfix.com SCREWFIX TRADE APPRENTICE 2025
BALLYOGAN SOLAR PV PROJECT WINS ALL-IRELAND BUSINESS AWARD
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (DLR) County Council’s Ballyogan Operations Centre solar PV project has won the All-Ireland Business Award at the All-Ireland Entrepreneurs Summit. Part of the DLR Retrofitting Programme under the Climate Action Plan, the project received 50% funding through the SEAI Pathfinder Programme. The system has already shown significant impact, providing 10,000kWh of renewable electricity to the grid in just one month. A 174kWp solar PV system was installed across three project phases comprising 324 solar panels situated on the roofs of the administration and utility buildings at Ballyogan. The array is projected to generate a
L-R: Gerard Donnellan, SEAI, Liz Clarke, Dean Cunningham, David Mulhall, Stephen Brady and Jim O’Leary, DLR, and Brigid Walsh and Des Walsh, Solar Precision Ltd.
Replacing over 200,000kWh of natural gas across the past 12 months at Ballyogan, the electrical performance of the facility has improved by 38,586kWh across the same timeline. John O’Sullivan, SEAI, said, “Under the Pathfinder programme, we look forward to partnering with the Dublin Local Authorities in the coming years to advance energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects.” www.seai.ie
combined 165,000kWh of clean renewable electricity each year, with an export licence awarded to supply surplus generation to the grid.
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