Donegal native marks 25 years with EirGrid as system evolves

Charlie McGee, a Gort an Choirce native, is celebrating 25 years of service with EirGrid, the state‑owned operator of Ireland’s electricity transmission system.

McGee, who graduated in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin, now works as System Operational Manager in the National Control Centre (NCC), where a team of Gardaí‑style operators balance supply and demand 24 hours a day across the whole country.

Since joining EirGrid in 2001, he has held senior roles in Transmission Network Planning, Technology and Standards, and managed the Transmission Outage Programme for the Republic of Ireland, overseeing maintenance, upgrades and new connections.

In his current post, which he has held since 2021, McGee notes the grid has transformed from a system with little wind generation to one dominated by variable renewables, solar, battery storage and rising demand. He says his skill set must continually adapt to these changes.

EirGrid’s future investment

EirGrid’s new five‑year strategy identifies 29 priority projects, including “Powering Up the North West”, which will add two 220 kV circuits through Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon. The programme aims to meet growing demand, integrate more renewables and support regional economic development, a prospect McGee describes as “incredibly positive”.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: Andy Lee / Pexels.