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28

ENERGY INTERNATIONAL

June/July 2012 www.esb.ie/em

QUIZ SUCCESS FOR TURLOUGH HILL

A team from Turlough Hill Generating Station recently achieved an excellent fourth place in the NISO All-Ireland Safety Quiz Final. The team of Tony Pierce, Ronan Barry and Niall O’Neill (pictured above) finished just nine points behind the eventual winners in the very competitive Previous Entrants category. The quiz was held in Athlone on Saturday April 21st and was made up of the winners from each of the regional heats held earlier in the year. Turlough Hill was again well represented in the Eastern Region heat with the aforementioned win in the Previous Entrants category and a second place in the Novices category earned by the team of Miriam Brown, Eamonn Finnegan, Paddy Hanlon and Tomás Waters.

Richard German awarded Chartered Geologist status by Geological Society of London

ESBI

ESB INTERNATIONAL Geo-environmental Consultant, Richard German, was recently awarded Chartered Geologist status by the Geological Society of London, the professional body for geoscience in the UK. He is also recognised as a Professional Geologist by the Institute of Geologists of Ireland. Richard has worked with the Environment Team at ESB International for almost 15 years, working primarily on environmental due diligence, project development, contaminated land and pollution control projects for clients including Asset Development and ESB Networks.

Shannonbridge retired staff outing to Kilkenny

Pictured (l-r) Winnifred and Oliver Coleman, Donie Egan with Oliver and Patrica Keeneghan.

Tony McTague, Sean and Mary Lynch and Louis and Emta Maher enjoying the day.

Donegal Stations host visit by Sligo IT

Donegal Stations staff pictured with students from Sligo Institute of Technology’s School of Science during a recent visit to Cathleen’s Falls in Ballyshannon.

Chain reaction

Electricity Abroad Health & Habitat page 34

The land of the rising sun

Dara Connolly is working on secondment to Osaka Gas, in Japan, for one year. During this time he will contribute regular updates to the EM. His blog on aspects of life in Japan is at awordfromjapan.wordpress.com.

Mother and Baby at Sumiyoshi Grand Shrien.

SETTING UP HOME in a new country, even if only for a year, presents interesting challenges. My wife, Yuko, is Japanese and we had often visited Japan so it was not completely new to me.

Yuko came over initially and organised a house to rent in a traditional and quiet neighbourhood, beside a park (handy for walking the dogs!) and convenient to the subway station.

As is usual in Japan, our house came unfurnished – i.e. no curtains, light fittings, heating or air conditioning. This meant we were living a very simple life at first - sitting on the floor in traditional Japanese style until we got chairs!

Reikin, or ‘key money’, is payable to the landlord when you move in, similar to a deposit, except you don’t get it back!

Our two dogs came with us though this necessitated lots of paperwork and veterinary visits over six months to enable them to enter Japan without being quarantined. Fortunately, the Japanese Department of Agriculture, while very meticulous and strict, were extremely helpful and the dogs travelled with us on the same flights. The dogs give lots of opportunities to meet local people and speak Japanese.

Before leaving I got good advice from a colleague; “the year in Japan will pass quickly so make the most of this unique opportunity and experience Japan as fully as possible”.

One of the big events of the Japanese year is the o-hanami, or cherry blossom celebration, in April. When the cherry blossoms open, Japanese people go to the park and have barbecues and picnics under the trees, eating and drinking until after dark.

Golden Week occurs in early May. This is the main holiday period when many take the week off and go travelling. Golden Week celebrates a Children’s Day, when families fly silk banners in the shape of carp (one for each member of the family), and eat special Japanese sweets.

I am very grateful to my hosts in Osaka Gas for the way I have been welcomed into their company and the care with which they have planned my arrival and my time here. I am very grateful also to management and HR in ESB Energy International for all their hard work in enabling the secondment and sending me as an “ambassador” to strengthen the ties between the two companies and pave the way for further partnership between them.

More next issue!

Dara Connolly

Cara and Yuko’s two beloved pets frollicking by the Yamato River.

Bride and Groom at Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine.

Work

• ’Gas Building’ - name for Osaka Gas HQ
• 7M customers in the Osaka and Kyoto area.
• International Interests: Gas fields, shipping and LNG terminals, power stations, wind farms. Shale gas fields in U.S. and Canada. Owns 50% of Amorebieta CCGT in the Basque region of Spain with ESB.
• Prides itself on being innovative and continually working with manufacturers to develop new products and services.
• Currently active in installing PV solar panels and fuel-cell power generation in customers’ homes. Generous incentives offered.
• Open-plan offices. Section manager sits in the row with colleagues, senior managers sit at end of rows. Only company president has his own office.
• Meeting notes are put directly on laptops - use of pen and paper discouraged.
• Wireless network.
• Official working hours 9 to 5:40 though many remain at their desks until around 9pm.
• Seniority is very important - it determines who sits where at the meeting table.