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NEWS
February/March 2013 www.esb.ie/em
Councils visits NIE Control Centre
Councillors from Lisburn, Ballymena, Omagh, Strabane and Craigavon visited Northern Ireland Electricity's (NIE) Control Centre recently to understand how the company deals with power cuts and how it plans for emergencies.
DURING THE visit, the councillors saw NIE's call centre and the IT systems that control Northern Ireland's electricity distribution network.
Specialist dispatch analysts and control engineers explained how engineers are sent out to repair power cuts and described some of the automatic controls that can be used on the electricity network.
The councillors spent two hours touring NIE's control centre., talking to staff and learning how escalation procedures are kick started when an emergency situation, such as widespread power cuts due to stormy weather, arise. The councillors also found out how local power cuts are dealt with on a daily basis and were informed about the programmes that help ensure supply to people who are dependent on electricity for their health care needs.
Customer Relations Manager David Keys welcomed the visitors, saying, “We appreciate the councillors taking the time to visit our Control Centre in Craigavon and to understand how we plan and deal with power cuts and other customer issues on a daily basis and during severe weather.
“Elected representatives can help us to distribute information to their constituents so it is important that they are aware of how we work and some of the programmes that we have in place such as our critical care register for people who rely on electricity for their health care needs.”
Valerie Curran, NIE Customer Relations Manager shows Lisburn City Councillors around the Craigavon Control Centre.
CELEBRATING STAFF SERVICE SUCCESS
THE ANNUAL NIE Awards Lunch was held at the Hilton Templepatrick Hotel to recognise NIE employees with either long service or full attendance. 40 employees received long-service awards and 89 employees received full-attendance certificates.
One employee, Enniskillen man Drew Wilson, impressed everyone by receiving a 40-years Long Service Award and a 40-years Full Attendance Certificate.
Drew began working at NIE, or the Electricity Board for Northern Ireland (EBNI) as the company was then known, in late November 1972 as a Surveyor in Omagh. In 1985, he became a Customer Operations Engineer based in Enniskillen where he still works.
Speaking at the lunch Drew said, “I've seen many changes in the electricity industry over the years. The business has changed dramatically, particularly with advances in technology. There has been plenty of variation, but I've worked with some great people.”
When asked what his secret is to not taking a day off work, Drew said, “I don't have a secret as such. I suppose I've just been lucky with my good health.”
NIE Managing Director Joe O'Mahony presented Drew with his certificates and said, “This is a remarkable achievement and I was delighted to present Drew with his long-service and full-attendance certificates. The annual NIE Awards Lunch is a great opportunity to celebrate the dedication and loyalty of our employees.”
NIE receives top environmental accolade
NIE received a top ‘green’ accolade from Business in the Community's ARENA Network by being in the top 20% of a Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey.
THE SURVEY, carried out by ARENA Network and supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, annually assesses Northern Irish businesses on their environmental management, performance and assurance.
Environment Minister Alex Attwood commended all participants for their leadership and achievement saying, “This year the ARENA Network Survey has produced a high average score with the top performing sectors being those that have the greatest potential to impact the environment. It shows that participants are taking appropriate measures in order to reduce their environmental impacts and improve their efficiency.
“The ARENA Network Survey is an important measure for businesses and public sector organisations as they develop a stronger economy. ARENA Network continues every year in its efforts to encourage companies to take part in benchmarking and realise true business benefits. I commend all of the participants for their positive contribution to good environmental stewardship and their commitment to reducing environmental impacts and managing resources efficiently. .
What is ISO 14001 Environmental Management?
• An internationally accepted standard that outlines how to put an effective environmental management system in place.
• It helps businesses remain successful without overlooking environmental responsibilities.
NIE Environmental Officer Gareth Hughes said, “We're delighted to be able to retain our position as one of Northern Ireland's top ranked companies for its environmental performance. Retaining a strong environmental ethos is recognised within NIE as being good for business and good for the planet”.
In addition to this award, NIE has retained its ISO14001 environmental management certificate with its best audit score since the company first attained the certification in June 2001.
TREE-CUTTING SAFETY WORKSHOPS
Tree-cutting safety workshops for NIE staff and for contractors were held at the company's Craigavon and Omagh sites at the end of the year. The workshops focused on the safe use of wood chippers and included an outdoor demonstration of different commonly used makes and models of chipper.
Utility achievement award winners
In partnership with electricity supplier Power NI, NIE took one of the top awards at the annual UK Utility Industry Achievement Awards. The award for IT Initiative of the Year was presented to NIE and Power NI at a gala dinner in London.
NIE and Power NI won the award for their Enduring Solution project, which over four years prepared the Northern Irish electricity market for competition. This project, which commenced in 2008, involved design, procurement and delivery programmes. The work involved replacement of the existing IT systems shared by both companies, including a 40-year-old mainframe billing application. The project, which was delivered on time and on budget, enabled the introduction of full retail competition in Northern Ireland in May 2012.
As the electricity market operates on an all-island basis, there had to be harmonisation between the systems in Northern Ireland and those in the Republic of Ireland and the Enduring Solution project was the first to achieve this between two jurisdictions in Europe, in line with EU competition policy.
NIE Managing Director Joe O'Mahony sees the award as an endorsement for a partnership approach to projects. “We are delighted to have won this Utility Industry Achievement Award. To take the top honours in a category that includes Anglian Water and Scotia Gas Networks shows that Northern Ireland can compete with companies that are leaders in their field.
“This award is a welcome recognition that NIE is playing a leading role in investing in the technology and infrastructure that Northern Ireland needs to underpin its economic growth. I should also like to pay tribute to all the exceptional people in NIE and the partner companies who have made this award possible.”
NIE and Power NI worked with teams from Wipro, Northgate Managed Services, ESB and Neueda. At the peak of the project there were over 400 staff deployed between Antrim and locations at Bangalore and Pune in India, all working to a very challenging time line.