Croke Park stadium in Dublin has been named the overall winner at the Business Energy Achievement Awards 2025, which recognise and celebrate outstanding sustainable energy initiatives across Ireland.This awards ceremony, hosted by Eric Lalor at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Santry in Dublin, saw 67 entries from 41 companies competing across 19 trophy categories, with 164 attendees gathering to celebrate energy efficiency excellence.In the award citation, the judging panel noted: “Croke Park has set the standard for sustainable energy leadership through innovation and long-term vision. Their commitment to reducing consumption and maximising efficiency has delivered measurable, lasting impact.”It continues, “From pioneering green initiatives to embedding best practices across operations, they have demonstrated true excellence. The stadium’s dedication goes beyond compliance, inspiring others to follow their lead. A shining example of how ambition and action can transform energy performance.”Colin O’Brien, operations and sustainability executive at Croke Park, described the recognition as “fantastic” and a driver for continued progress. He explained that winning awards provides “belief that we’re doing the right thing” and gives the team “enthusiasm and optimism to keep going and push forward”. O’Brien also highlighted the value of benchmarking against other companies, networking, collaboration, and learning from peers’ approaches.Launched in 2021, the Business Energy Achievement Awards recognise businesses and organisations that are taking a leadership role in sustainability by actively working to reduce their overall energy consumption and transition to cleaner sources of power like solar or wind.The energy leader award was presented to David Maguire, founder and chief executive of BNRG Renewables, which develops, constructs, owns, and operates solar projects across multiple continents. The judges noted that since 2007 BNRG has delivered hundreds of megawatts of operational capacity and built a development pipeline spanning the USA, Canada, Ireland, the UK, and Australia. “An environmental scientist by training with advanced degrees in environmental sciences and resource management, David has over 23 years’ experience in environmental and renewable energy sectors and has founded key industry associations, shaping policy and driving sustainable growth worldwide,” said the award citation.Accepting the award, Maguire emphasised the importance of strong leadership in Ireland’s current environment, particularly given geopolitical challenges. He praised the “stellar calibre” of shortlisted companies and projects, noting an impressive mix of indigenous and multinational businesses. While acknowledging that Ireland remains “the most energy-insecure nation in Europe” with “a long way to go”, Maguire expressed optimism, saying “the future in Ireland is really bright”.Among other award winners, Martin Mulholland, commercial operations director at Activ8 Solar Energies, stated that his company continuously strives to do better for the environment, describing their focus as “all about sustainability and innovation”.Vincent Hudner, campus Ireland energy strategy lead at Johnson & Johnson, expressed delight at award recognition for his team. He emphasised the value of demonstrating decarbonisation efforts to customers, particularly for a large multinational corporation. Hudner also stressed the importance of participating in such awards programmesJudging coordinator Brian Norton said the awards programme had attracted a broad range of excellent and diverse entries. “The awards showcase the wholehearted commitment and demonstrable success of Irish companies in reducing their energy use, make greater use of renewable energy, and contributing to environmental sustainability,” he added.Liz Cribbin, projects manager at Greyhound Racing Ireland, which was shortlisted in two award categories, remarked: “Resource efficiency is vital for the future. These awards highlight how industries such as greyhound racing, encompassing tourism, entertainment, catering and welfare, must continually strengthen sustainability to ensure resilience and long-term viability.”Anne Butterly, founder and chief executive, Easydry, said she was “shocked, surprised, but also very happy” to win an award in the water usage category. She highlighted her company’s impact of saving 11.7 billion litres of water, proving that “a small company can make a big impact if we get the right companies on board”. Butterly praised the awards process itself, explaining that it helped the company to assess where they are and where they need to go.Daniel Walsh, energy engineer at Astellas Ireland Kerry plant, welcomed the recognition for his team’s efforts in implementing their energy management system and ISO 50001 certification. He said it was “great to get the story of the site out there and the large projects we’ve undertaken”.Kevin O’Driscoll, director of partnership programmes at awards organiser BusinessRiver, commented: “Events like this are made possible through the support of sponsors. We are thankful to our 2025 supporters, AEE Ireland and Amárach Research. I also want to recognise our communications partner, The Irish Times. Their investment in the awards underlines their commitment and support of this key business area.”Awards supportersAEE IrelandAmárach ResearchAwards judgesBrian Norton (judging coordinator), emeritus professor, Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, and Technological University DublinMichael Conlon, professor, Technological University DublinXavier Dubuisson, chief executive, RetroKit LtdLorna Fitzsimons, assistant professor, DCUCiaron King, chief executive, Digren LtdBrian O Gallachoir, associate vice president of sustainability, University College CorkKen O’Byrne, commercial director, Flogas EnergyAideen O’Hora, co-founder, SustainabilityWorksRonan Power, chief executive, Solar IrelandCatriona Power, senior executive, Enterprise IrelandPat Smith, managing director, Local Power LtdKatherine Valery, senior sustainability engineer, Jacobs Award winnersOverall energy achievement awardWinner: Croke ParkAdam Kane, community lead at BusinessRiver, presents the overall energy achievement award to Colin O'Brien, Croke Park Innovation in decarbonisation - large (over 1,000 employees)Winner: Johnson & JohnsonAdam Kane, community lead at BusinessRiver, presents the innovation in decarbonisation - large (over 1,000 employees) to Vincent Hudner, Johnson & Johnson Innovation in decarbonisation - largeWinner: Astellas Ireland Kerry PlantKatherine Valery, awards judge, presents the innovation in decarbonisation - large to Daniel Walsh and Shannon Foster, Astellas Ireland Kerry Plant Innovation in decarbonisation - SMEWinner: Astellas DublinKatherine Valery, awards judge, presents the innovation in decarbonisation - SME to Suzanne Geraty, Astellas Dublin Sustainable energy achievement in water usageWinner: EasydryKatherine Valery, awards judge, presents the sustainable energy achievement in water usage to Anne Butterly, Easydry Best energy managerWinner: Copper Coast Renewables - Luke DeasyKatherine Valery, awards judge, presents the best energy manager to Luke Deasy, Copper Coast Renewables Best energy management team - largeWinner: Astellas Ireland Kerry PlantKatherine Valery, awards judge, presents the best energy management team - large to Daniel Walsh and Shannon Foster, Astellas Ireland Kerry Plant Best energy management team - SMEWinner: Croke ParkXavier Dubuisson, awards judge, presents the best energy management team - SME to Colin O'Brien, Croke Park Best energy achievement in constructionWinner: SiskXavier Dubuisson, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in construction to Ian O'Connor, Sisk Best energy achievement in retailWinner: Tesco IrelandXavier Dubuisson, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in retail to Peter Kennedy, Tesco Ireland Best energy achievement in life sciencesWinner: Astellas Ireland Kerry PlantXavier Dubuisson, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in life sciences to Daniel Walsh, Astellas Ireland Kerry Plant Best energy achievement in manufacturingWinner: Pfizer Newbridge - Path to Net ZeroMichael Conlon, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in manufacturing to Michael Hannigan, Pfizer Newbridge Best energy achievement in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG)Winner: Ballykilcavan BrewingMichael Conlon, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in FMCG to Adam Kane, community lead at BusinessRiver on behalf of Ballykilcavan Brewing Best energy achievement in food & beverage - largeWinner: KepakMichael Conlon, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in food and beverage - large to Rebecca Thompson, Kepak Best energy achievement in food & beverageWinner: Bulmer’s IrelandMichael Conlon, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in food & beverage to Shane Kennedy, Bulmer's Ireland Best energy achievement in utilitiesWinner: Activ8 Solar EnergiesAideen O'Hora, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in utilities to Martin Mulholland, Activ8 Solar Energies Best energy achievement in tourism and entertainmentWinner: Croke ParkAideen O'Hora, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in tourism and entertainment to Colin O'Brien, Croke Park Best energy achievement in public sectorWinner: Tyndall National InstituteAideen O'Hora, awards judge, presents the best energy achievement in public sector to Derry Kelleher, Tyndall National Institute Energy leader 2025Recipient: David Maguire, BNRG RenewablesAideen O'Hora, awards judge, presents the energy leader 2025 to David Maguire