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Innovation
October/November 2013 www.esb.ie/em
Appreciation
REMEMBERING NOR FAIZAH CHE DIN FROM KULIM, MALAYSIA OUR DEAR FRIEND and colleague Nor Faizah Che Din passed away suddenly on Saturday August 31st at Kulim, Malaysia. Known to everyone as ‘Faizah', she was always the first person to greet visitors on their arrival at the power station office. Having worked in Kulim for the last 14 years with ESB International as the secretary to the General Manager, Faizah had been with the project since 1999.
Faizah was a wonderful person who gave her time generously in all company activities. In particular ,she was a serving member of the Kulim Emergency Response Team and very active in helping arrange social activities for the Kulim site.
Faizah was just 42 at the time of her death and is survived by her three children aged 14 to 18. Farah Nur Amanda, Filoza Nur Hamidi and Farell Nur Iskandar. She will be greatly missed by all her colleagues and friends in Kulim and visiting staff from Dublin who will remember her for her warm smile and generous nature.
AXA offers 20% discount for electric vehicle motorists
AXA HAS LAUNCHED a new electric vehicle motor insurance offering. This product offers new and existing AXA customers a 20% saving off their insurance premium by going electric. This is another way for motorists to save money by driving electric vehicles (EVs) with significant savings already to be made in fuel, maintenance and motor tax costs.
Colm Mc Grattan, Executive Director at AXA, commented: “The Government has set a target of ensuring that 10% of all passenger vehicles (230,000 vehicles) are electric by 2020. At AXA we are keen to support this initiative. This new electric vehicle policy has been developed by AXA as part of our group initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. We are continuously looking at ways to benefit and reward our customer base and working with the ESB on our Electric Vehicle offering is an excellent example of this. Our new and existing customers will see immediate benefits with a 20% discount off their insurance premiums, along with the other great savings that can be achieved from electric motoring”.
Dermot McArdle, Manager ecars, said: “We are delighted to see AXA insurance offering further significant savings for electric vehicle owners in Ireland. The cost savings that are possible with EVs are raising the profile of electric motoring amongst the public and this is reflected in the number of companies now offering tailored products for ecar drivers”.
Savings and incentives for EV owners include:
• The recent reduction in the price of electric vehicles.
• The €5,000 Government grant
• Free home charge point installation from ESB.
• Savings with the fuel costs of electric cars, which can be as little as one-tenth of that of their petrol or diesel equivalent.
• The recently launched A0 allelectric tax band allows electric car owners drivers to tax their vehicle for as little as €120 per year.
Appreciation
PAT MURRAY: A FRIEND OF ESB INTERNATIONAL
By Tom Ralph, ESB International Bahrain Site Manager
I FIRST MET Pat Murray in the summer of 2008, when he arrived in Bahrain to work with ESB International on a stand-in assignment as a commissioning engineer on the 2007 to 2011 electricity transmission development project. Pat stayed for three months and he fitted in very well with our multinational team managing the project. When an opportunity arose in November of that year for a long-term assignment, Pat was the obvious candidate.
Pat lived in the Juffair suburb of Manama city and maintained close friendship with staff in the area, enjoying many weekend gatherings at various outings. He was well-liked by the contractors whose works he was supervising as they considered him to be totally committed, fair and always reasonable in approach. The client, the Electricity Authority of Bahrain, consistently spoke highly of his dedication to duty and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure that the job was done well for the people of Bahrain.
Pat joined ESB International in 1991, initially working in the company's design office in Stephen Court on a wide variety of transmission projects throughout Ireland, before transferring to the substation commissioning team in 2004.
One of Pat's great strengths was his love of people. He mixed well with our staff of many nationalities, including the local Bahrainis and would enjoy having a cup of tea and joking with them. He often spoke of his wife Caroline and his boys - Daniel, Jack and Conor - and how proud he was of their progress in their studies. It will be difficult for them now without his presence and guidance.
His death in late July came as a great shock to all of us and reminded us of the frailty of life.
Our deepest sympathy goes to Pat's family, colleagues and friends.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
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Innovation student trip to Turlough Hill
THE INNOVATION Summer Student Trip to Turlough Hill pumped storage station took place on Wednesday, August 14th, last. The trip to a power station is organised annually for students placed throughout ESB Innovation in order to give them a clear understanding of how an active power plant operates. David Sexton, Plant Manager, Turlough Hill and Liffey Stations guided the students on a tour of the station giving them an overview of the station's history and showing them key areas, such as the control room.
The students were placed in ESB International and ESB ecars for periods ranging from four to six months and were predominantly from an undergraduate engineering background, spanning a mixture of civil, mechanical and electrical engineers disciplines.
The trip to a power station is organised annually for students placed throughout ESB Innovation
ESB International hosts Vietnam delegation
ESB INTERNATIONAL
ESB INTERNATIONAL hosted a delegation from Vietnam on Thursday, August 22nd, last. The delegation was led by Dinh the Phuc, Deputy Director General, Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV) and included six senior executives from ERAV and Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the state-owned utility involved in generation, transmission, distribution and supply.
The electricity market in Vietnam is evolving with a competitive generation market currently being developed and longer term plans to establish a competitive retail market. The focus of the visit was to gain a better understanding of how the Irish market has been transformed through regulation and competition over the past decade and how it currently operates.
The delegation received expert presentations by senior managers from Electric Ireland, Generation and Wholesale Markets and ESB Networks, which they found very informative. During their week-long visit to Ireland the delegation also visited the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), EirGrid, and the Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO).
