Page 34 - Gi flipbook April 2018

IGEM NEWS | Industrial Affiliates

Major Irish gas project J Murphy

being led by dynamic duo & Sons

buys
Carillion’s
MALE ENGINEERS may still Hayley Boyle Oonagh McCann
largely outnumber their UK power
female counterparts, but
Oonagh McCann and Hayley business
Boyle, senior engineers with
SGN Natural Gas are ENGINEERING AND
changing that perception. construction company J
They hold top project Murphy & Sons Ltd has
management positions with bought Carillion’s UK
the expert team overseeing power framework
construction of the major business for an
new natural gas network in undisclosed sum.
Ireland’s western region. It will take over
The multimillion pound day contract management subjects at school and Carillion’s position on
investment is one of the including progress and engineering qualifications at National Grid’s overhead
biggest infrastructure programming, technical university as it opens up electricity lines, substation
projects to be carried out in acceptances and approvals many different opportunities. and underground cable
the West of Ireland, bringing and quality, health and “It is a great opportunity framework contracts and
natural gas to thousands of safety, environmental for me to work on a project Carillion employees will
homes and businesses in monitoring and reporting. of this size, bringing natural join Murphy, the company
Strabane, Omagh, From a stakeholder gas to areas in the West for said in a statement.
Dungannon, Derrylin, perspective, there is regular the first time. I am delighted British construction and
Enniskillen, Cookstown, engagement with elected to explain to as many people services company
Coalisland and Magherafelt. representatives, as possible how safe and Carillion, which employed
SGN Natural Gas is presentations at council reliable natural gas is as a over 43,000 people
scheduled to deliver gas meetings and with various fuel source for homes and globally, collapsed in
mains, meters and services government departments. businesses.” January when its banks
to around 40,000 There is also ongoing liaison Hayley came to halted funding, triggering
customers in the eight with the general public and engineering through a more Britain’s biggest corporate
towns in the West over the landowners as well as circuitous route having failure in a decade.
next 40 years. More than dealing with customer originally considered The official receiver,
1,300 homes and enquiries including large biomedical science before which manages
businesses in Strabane commercial users. opting for a degree in insolvencies for the
currently have access to Oonagh joined a graduate Information Management at British government, has
natural gas with the other engineering scheme and Queen’s University, Belfast. since been looking
towns set to follow suit. worked her way through the She also strongly through the about 450
Oonagh and Hayley, Senior ranks before taking up her encourages young women contracts that Carillion
Project Officers, took up the current post with SGN to consider a career in was managing when it
engineering roles with SGN Natural Gas in November engineering and gain the collapsed, seeking
Natural Gas as they wanted 2015. She said: “While the confidence to redress the alternative contractors
to work and reside in the number of women engaged gender imbalance within to complete the tasks.
West of the province. in engineering roles has the profession through Murphy will also
Based at the project site increased over the years, hard graft and become the new joint
office in Ballygawley, Co people are often genuinely determination to succeed. venture partner of Eltel,
Tyrone, the experienced surprised at the actual jobs Hayley initially worked on the Swedish supplier of
engineers are at the helm they do. However, more the Maydown to Strabane services for infrastructure
of the 110km route and progressive attitudes are section of the pipeline and, networks, on overhead
have 30 years’ combined increasingly paving the way together with her colleagues line and T-pylon
experience working in the for future female generations on the project team, is now framework contracts,
gas industry. to weigh up the lay of the focused on the main build Murphy added.
Their busy role is largely land and all-important area. There are currently The UK’s official
taken up with day-to-day employment opportunities. three legs of pipework being receiver has made 829
construction activity in the “I am just happy that I laid simultaneously: Carillion staff redundant
various towns where went down the engineering Fivemiletown to Enniskillen so far but saved around
specialist contractors are route as I find it so and Derrylin; Augher to 1,019 out of a UK
extending the natural gas interesting. I would strongly Omagh; Dungannon to workforce of around
pipeline into the West. The encourage more young Cookstown and further on 18,000. ■
workload includes day-to- women to take up STEM to Magherafelt. ■

34

IGEMNews_IndustrialAffiliates.indd 1 15/03/2018 14:12