View this article as published in the Sunday Business Post here.

Kirby Group Engineering is celebrating continued growth in the Power and Renewables sector, as it marks its 60th anniversary in 2024. The firm recently promoted Michael Murray to the role of Director of Power and Renewables and Group Business Development, while Stephen Kavanagh has joined Kirby as Associate Director and the Business Unit Leader of Power and Renewables.

The new appointments, and the recent renaming of its Transmission and Distribution business unit as Power and Renewables have come in recognition of the continued growth and the company’s own expanding presence in this area.

Within this sector, the company provides High Voltage / Medium Voltage (HV/MV) design and build services up to 400kV for utilities, the renewables sector and large industry facilities requiring high-capacity power. Its teams also have substantial experience in delivering high-profile High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) interconnector projects.

As the emphasis on maximising the usage of renewable energy grows, Kirby has built up specialist experience in the delivery of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, which are essential in providing grid stability and facilitating increased penetration of renewable energy on the electricity grid.

The firm’s services are delivered by an experienced in-house team of professional engineers, construction and commissioning teams.

Director of Power and Renewables and Business Development at Kirby, Michael Murray says it is an exciting step forward for his team: “We have worked hard to build up a skillset that offers real value to our clients here in Ireland and internationally. This requires a focus on continual training and development for our teams, which has always been a factor of life at Kirby. We don’t stand still here, we’re always learning and taking the next step towards what we can achieve together. We are always committed to finding new, more efficient and greener ways to achieve our goals and those of our clients”.

Stephen Kavanagh, who has joined the firm as Associate Director and Business Unit Leader of Power and Renewables says it is a great time to be with a company like Kirby: “The firm is already leading the way with its engineering and project delivery capabilities. We’re ideally positioned to take advantage of upcoming technical developments, to the benefit of our skillset and our customers too. Understanding the potential of power and renewables requires an ambitious outlook and a readiness to learn across the business and I’m excited to say these are features that have attracted me to working with Kirby.”

Kirby has demonstrated a longstanding determination to adapt its business to embrace new opportunities and technologies. Since its foundation in 1964, the company has shown an agility to develop the skills required to meet the needs of customers and deliver on the latest leading-edge projects. In recent years, it has invested heavily in systems to accelerate project delivery, including the widespread use of virtual reality and offsite manufacturing.

A culture of continually nurturing the next generation of talent has also paid dividends as employees are encouraged to rise through the ranks and combine their talents with new hires from outside the company to ensure Kirby’s outlook remains fresh and open to anticipating evolving client needs. The company now employs over 1500 people across bases in Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe and South Africa, while turnover surpassed €630 million in 2023.

Group Operations Director, Henry McCann has led the operations teams over this period of growth at Kirby: “By expanding and developing our Power and Renewables Business Unit, we are putting the message out there that we are focused on the future, and we are ready to take on the challenges it holds. Everyone here is on board with doing things the Kirby Way. We keep our core values in mind – People, Safety, Quality, Delivery and Value – every day. They have guided us to become leaders in our field and they will continue to form the backbone of our business for many more decades to come”.