About Us
DP Energy: Energy is in our Nature
DP Energy is a renewable energy and sustainable development specialist operating in sites across the world. All DP Energy developments are sustainable and environmentally benign.
The name DP Energy encompasses a number of companies, which operate in the field of renewable energy and sustainable development.
DP Energy has a simple purpose: ‘to develop renewable energy projects which are both sustainable and environmentally benign’
Each DP Energy company is a private limited company with the controlling shareholdings being held by Maureen De Pietro and Simon De Pietro.
DP Energy will invest in the development of a balanced portfolio of sustainable renewable energy projects through:-
- Geographic and technological diversity
- a focus on project delivery
- pioneering innovative renewable energy solutions
- experienced risk management
- building strategic relationships
- responding quickly to new opportunities
- developing specialist ‘added value’ areas in house
- having clearly defined exit strategies; and
- an ability to secure funding
Sustainable development is development that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We aim to carry out sustainable developments which are environmentally benign and conducted in a manner which has the least possible impact on other species.
There are two shareholders of DP Energy Companies:
MAUREEN DE PIETRO is an Owner / Director for the DP Energy companies. She is a graduate of Manchester University and was a practising solicitor in the UK from 1966 until the year 2000. In 1992 being aware of the need for action to combat threatened climate change and environmental degradation she gave up her law firm partnership to become a sole practitioner and to devote her time to the promotion of the production of energy from renewable resources. Since that time she has been an active member of a number of national and international wind and renewable energy associations for the promotion of renewable energy. Maureen has been active in development, construction and operation of renewable energy projects. She is particularly interested in new technologies such as floating wind, tidal, solar and energy storage to maximise the deployment of Renewable Energy. Maureen has been a member of the Council of the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) since it 1993.
SIMON DE PIETRO is an Owner / Director for the DP Energy companies and board member of the European Ocean Energy Association. Simon De Pietro is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering (Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics) from the University of Liverpool, England, 1984, with a background in low emissions combustion in gas turbines used for power generation, and 20 years’ experience in developing wind farms and more recently marine energy projects in Ireland the UK and Canada.
Simon has both analytical and field experience in power generation, initially within the Gas Turbine Industry before moving into Renewables, including on site commissioning experience and field testing worldwide as well as program and project management experience in both a development and a commercial environment. Within the DP Energy companies Simon has extensive experience of site evaluation, monitoring, landowner negotiations, permitting and project contract negotiations through to the placement of turbine, interconnection, and electrical/civil works contracts.
Damian Bettles
Regional Manager Canada/North America
Damian Bettles is the regional manager for Canada/North America. Damian has been with DP Energy since 2012. During that time he has led on a number of strategic projects in Europe and Canada. Damian is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET) and has more than 15 years experience of delivering major projects across a broad range of sectors. From transport and infrastructure, to commercial, retail, healthcare and industrial, Damian has experience of working with a variety of clients that include government and IFI funded work, investment funds, bluechip companies and individual private investors. With a background in engineering consultancy and design, build and operational contracting Damian has a good knowledge of all aspects of the project lifecycle from conception through to commissioning and operation.
Catherine Way
Director & Country Manager, DP Energy Australia
A specialist in renewable energy development, Catherine brings a deep understanding of the complexion of the Australian market to her role with DP Energy. With more than 15 years of renewable energy experience, she has worked in the mining sector for BHP Billiton; with the South Australian Government’s RenewablesSA; and in the not for profit sector. She has Masters degrees in both Business Administration and Environmental Management, qualifications in company directorship and leadership, and is a current board member of Regional Development Australia. The depth of Catherine’s insight into the issues impacting the renewable energy sector in Australia means she is regularly called upon to represent DP Energy at Conferences and events. An advocate of sustainable development, Catherine works for outcomes that reflect a strong balance between the economic imperative and environmental and social sustainability.
Blair Marnie
Head of Engineering and Origination
A Chartered engineer who has worked in the power generation industry for both conventional and renewable plant for some 35 years: Blair Marnie spent 15 years in engineering and Project Management in new product development at the now Siemens Gas Turbine facility in Lincoln with a subsequent 20 years of renewable energy development experience with DP. Blair has significant experience in identifying, consenting and managing large scale renewable projects. He is currently leading on the origination of new sites and opportunities in Australia having supported the Australia development team for the past 10 years.
Marie MacKenzie
Head of Legal
Marie joins from Nordex Acciona Windpower where she was Regional Head of Legal North Europe and North America. She is not new to development or DP Energy, as she was Head of Legal at Irish developer SWS Natural Resources between 2003 and 2010, where she first met Maureen and Simon De Pietro. She has extensive experience in all phases of project development, from the perspective of both developer and OEM, including investment and project finance and drafting and negotiating all project related agreements in various jurisdictions. Her time with Nordex Acciona Windpower has given her valuable insight into the design and engineering process, and various industry driven cost of energy initiatives. She originally trained and qualified as a Solicitor in the City, London before moving to Cork with her family in 2003. She is also qualified as an Irish Solicitor.
Marie Nagle
Head of Finance
Marie qualified as an accountant with The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA) in 2005. On qualification Marie continued to work in practice for a further nine years until joining DP Energy in 2014. In practice Marie specialised in Auditing and Financial Reporting. Marie’s client base included a number of companies in the renewable energy sector. Working closely with these clients motivated Marie to make the move from practice to industry. Initially working in a financial accountant and controller role, Marie’s role has evolved to include all elements of the companies financial management and supporting project financing.
Sara Armstrong
Electrical Development Engineer
Sara joined DP Energy in January 2016 as part of the Science Foundation Ireland Industrial Fellowship Programme on a part-time basis. She joined the team on a full time basis in January 2018. She holds a BE in Electronic Engineering, and PhD in Photovoltaics from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Subsequent research roles included ocean energy power system modelling tools, power take off testing and design, and electrical design for combined offshore wind and wave platforms. Sara is the author of numerous research papers in peer-reviewed journals, European FP7 and Horizon 2020 technical reports and international conferences. Sara is responsible for leading on all grid studies for the various DP Energy renewable energy projects globally.
Jenny Harris
Administration Officer, DP Energy Australia
Jenny is DP Energy Australia’s Administration Officer who has a strong accounting and administrative background spanning over 20 years. During her varied international career Jenny has been involved in the banking, hospitality, construction, real estate, and retirement industries. Well-honed organizational skills, coupled with a meticulous attention to detail ensure the smooth operation of the Australian office. In addition to managing the full administration function of the Australian office, Jenny is also legal assistant to the Head of Legal providing support in relation to all legal agreements, managing landowner options and leases, reviewing land agreements and keeping databases of contracts etc.
Joseph Kelly
Project Manager
Joseph’s remit is project manager of Irish onshore wind and energy storage. He joined DP Energy in September 2016. Before joining DP Energy, Joseph was part of the H2020 MARIBE project team, which looked at unlocking investment opportunities for the Blue Economy within the European Union. He is also undergoing a PhD within University College Cork (completion due June 2020), which looks at optimisation methods for sizing battery energy storage systems. He holds a Master of Science in Marine Renewable Energy from UCC which focused on the challenges faced by marine energy companies, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. His areas of expertise include: Deep Reinforcement Learning applied to optimisation tasks, Multi-Objective Optimisation, Stochastic Optimisation, Neural Network Training for Optimisation, Technical Economic Modelling for project appraisal, Business Model analysis and development, Real Option Analysis for incorporating flexibility in projects, Project Management. He has published papers on sizing of battery energy storage systems for microgrids and transmission grids. Within DP Energy, Joseph’s primary responsibility is Irish onshore wind and energy storage while also supporting other projects from a project development position..
John Kerr
Commercial Director, Canada
Chartered Surveyor with an extensive background in Canada, the Caribbean and Ireland in the identification and management of property development opportunities, spanning a period of three decades, working with or consulting to PLC’s including Wimpey Taylor and Balfour Beatty.
John also holds a Property Services Licence issued by the Irish State to engage in real property appraisals, sales and lettings and has served as both Member and later Division Chairman of the Irish statutory body, the Valuation Tribunal for thirteen years.
With a formal business education taken at the University of Limerick and holder of both undergraduate and a Master’s degree, John is also an accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Fellow of both the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
John has a long association with the DP Energy Group and serves as the Commercial Director of the Group’s Canadian ventures.
Frank Kruger
Renewable Energy Developer, GIS support/IT Lead
An IT and Network technician who has worked in this field for the past 22 years. Frank has 5 years working experience in Cape Town, South Africa for Equation, 2 years’ experience running his own computer company and 15 years working for DP Energy. Frank is responsible for ensuring that all elements of the company’s IT and communications infrastructure is world class and operating effectively. Frank is also responsible for wind modeling and supporting the development of the Company’s wind energy developments.
Agnieszka Matysik
Project Engineer Planning GIS Specialist
Agnieszka completed a MEngSc in Environmental Engineering from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Poland. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Energy and a Higher Diploma in Geographic Information Systems from the University College Cork. Agnieszka participated in Ad Valorem Property Tax Impact Analysis commissioned by the Department of Local Taxes and Cadastre of the Ministry of Finance in Poland. She has 9 years of experience in geodata analysis and is an experienced researcher with professional knowledge of renewable energy technologies and their environmental impacts. With DP Energy Agnieszka’s responsibility is to support applications for planning for various energy projects and to support site selection using advanced GIS analysis.
Sarah Thomas
Project Manager, Uisce Tapa
Sarah is the project manager for the Uisce Tapa Project in Canada. Prior to joining the renewable (tidal) energy sector, she worked in the marine sector, primarily in marine systems engineering and shipbuilding. With over a decade of experience overseeing technical and project management aspects of large scale, complex projects, Sarah has worked on some of the highest-profile projects for both the US and Canadian Navies.
Luke Muccignat
Project Engineer Australia
Luke joined DP Energy Australia in January 2017 after graduating with a Mechanical Engineering degree (first class honours). With 3 years of experience with DP Energy Luke has honed his professional skills on DP Energy’s pipeline of renewable energy projects. Luke now supports the Project Manager for all of the Australian projects on the technical elements including site surveys, design, modelling, stakeholder engagement, GIS management, and IT services. Luke is able to dynamically switch between the office environment and intensive site surveys with ease to provide technical project support where needed.
Patricia O'Sullivan
Administrator/Financial Assistant
Patricia qualified as an accountant with The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA) in 2008. On qualification Patricia worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a further nine years until joining DP Energy in 2017. Patricia provides support to the Finance team and maintains the day to day financial transactions within the Company.
Gabrielle Powell
Consents Manager, DP Energy Australia
Gabrielle began with DP Energy as a project officer and now manages project consenting for all of DP Energy’s Australian projects. As Consents Manager, she is the consenting lead for DP Energy Australia’s large-scale renewable energy projects. This role centers on development application coordination and preparation, including stakeholder and community engagement, and specialist consultant coordination. Gabrielle holds a Bachelor of Arts from James Cook University and was awarded both the Academic Medal (Bachelor Coursework) and the W.T. (Bill) Johnston memorial prize.
Yvonne Cronin
Community and Stakeholder Liaison Manager
Yvonne holds a Degree in Computer Science and a Degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography. Yvonne also holds a Masters by Research in Environmental Science. As part of University College Cork’s multidisciplinary industry lead project EirWind, Yvonne undertook Ireland’s first national survey of public perception of offshore wind farms in Ireland. With a strong background in project management, technical sales and Marine Analysis Yvonne joins DP Energy as Community and Stakeholder Liaison Manager working on all aspects of public and community engagement for DP Energy’s Irish renewable projects.
Kimberley Harris
Project Administration Coordinator
After graduating with an MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments in 2017, Kimberley worked as a Research Assistant for the UCC Marine Geology Research Group. During this time, she provided administrative support to PIs for several projects, took part in offshore surveys and was a key part of developing novel ‘lander’ systems for deployment. Having completed courses in Research Integrity, Project Management and Assertive Communication Skills she went on to develop her experience further as a Project Officer in Cork Institute of Technology. This role focused on financial reporting, budgeting and audit preparation for projects. Kimberley joined DP Energy, to coordinate all of the administrative functions of the offshore wind programme and to provide administrative support to the Project Managers and team members of the offshore team.
Edwina White
Consenting and Environment Manager, Project Lead
Edwina White is the Consenting and Environment Manager for DP Energy’s Offshore Ireland portfolio. Edwina joined DP Energy in 2020 with more than 10 year’s global experience in the renewable energy industry. Edwina is a chartered Environmental Scientist (C.Env) with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and is highly experienced in environmental appraisal having developed Environmental Impact Assessment Reports from both developer-side and consultant-side. Edwina is skilled in project management having led the development of wind and solar projects in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Chile, South Africa and in Asia. Her areas of expertise also encompass land contract negotiation and stakeholder management. Edwina has also specialised in the development and implementation of Project Controls aligned with Project Management Institute (PMI) principles as well as in the development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems aligning with ISO 14001.
Barry Wadding
Land Manager
Barry has recently joined the business as our Principal Land Manager. He will use his experience in land acquisition and landowner engagement to secure land for DP Energy’s portfolio of Irish offshore wind projects, including landfall, substation and cable route land. In his former role as Senior Development Manager Barry worked on the development of over 320MW of RESS 1 ready utility scale solar assets in the Republic of Ireland. Prior to this he was the property lead for one of the UK’s largest single phase wind developments and has also worked on the development of land banks for hyperscale data centres and aquaculture facilities. Barry’s 16 years experience is backed up by an honours degree from the University of West England in Valuation & Property Management. He is also a chartered member of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV).