SEM Committee

Professor David Newbery, CBE, FBA - Deputy Independent Member

Professor David Newbery, CBE, FBA, Research Fellow, Control and Power Research Group at Imperial College London, a Director of the Electricity Policy Research Group and Emeritus Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Cambridge. He has managed research projects on utility privatisation and regulation, electricity restructuring and market design, regulation and transmission access pricing, climate change policies, merger analysis and the design of energy policy and energy taxation. He is a panel member of Ofgem's Low Carbon Network Fund, former member of the Competition Commission, Chariman of the Dutch Electricity Market Surveillance Committee and advisor to Ofgem, Ofwat and ORR

Odd Håkon Hoelsæter - Independent Member

Mr Hoelsaeter is the Independent member of the Single Electricity Market Committee, Ireland. He also has four board positions in Norway and Sweden. Hoelsaeter was the first CEO of Statnett SF, the Norwegian TSO, from January 1st 1992 until February 1st 2009, when he retired. Hoelsaeter has been President for Nordel and ESTO, the associations for Nordic/European TSO's, and chariman for Nord Pool ASA, the Nordic power exchange for derivative products. Odd Håkon Hoelsaeter was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1945 and is holding a Master degree in Electrical Engineering from the Norwegian Technological University from 1969.

Shane Lynch, CEO, Utility Regulator

SEM Committee Member-

Shane Lynch is the Chief Executive of the Utility Regulator, having previously been its Director of Electricity between  2009 and 2011. Previously he worked in the electricity industry for 27 years (11 years at board level). He worked for 17 years at AES, where he was Managing Director of Kilroot Power Station and was latterly Development Director of Ireland. He holds an MSc (with distinction) in Finance and Investment from the University of Ulster (as well as a Diploma in Fuel Technology and Electrical Power Systems from the same university). Additionaly, he also holds a BSc from Queens University Belfast.

Garrett Blaney, Commissioner, CER

SEM Committee Member-
Garrett Blaney has been a member of the Commission since February 2010. Garrett's lead responsibilities with the Commission relate to the regulation of gas and electricity safety, gas networks/LNG and gas markets including the Common Arrangements for Gas (CAG) project, fuel disclosure and the Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy. In addition he has responsibility for gas and electricity security of supply issues and for "conventional" electricity generation.

Alan Rainey, Board Member, Utility Regulator

SEM Committee Member-
Alan Rainey has held a wide range of engineering and managemnt positions in the energy industry in Ireland since his graduation form Queen's University Belfast in 1968. An electrical engineer by profession, he has worked on and directed the development and maintenance of electricity generation , transmission and distribution systems throughout Ireland and overseas, working initally for the Electricity Supply Board in the Republic and latterly for the Viridian Group and then Northern Ireland Energy Holdings in Northern Ireland.

Dermot Nolan, Chairperson, CER

SEM Committee Member-

Dermot Nolan has been a member of the Commission since July 2008. Dermot's  lead responsibilities  within the Commission include the regulation of retail gas and electricity, the Single Electricity Market (SEM) and the Commission's Smart Metering project. He is also responsible for the CER's strategic and business planning and chairs the organisation's Audit Committee.