Pioneering Company Scoops 2012 Sustainable Energy Innovation Award

A pioneering new system that saves the waste of natural gas as it is transported via pipeline and transforms it into electricity that can be put back into the grid, has been crowned the overall winner of the Sustainable Energy Innovation Award.

EGPT Ltd, who picked up theAward at the second day of theSustainable Energy Authority ofIreland’s (SEAI) Energy Show atthe RDS, was set up in 2009 by DrPaul Sikora to develop an efficientgas depressurisation system viathe Expanding Gas PowerTransformation (EGPT) process.The system also negates the needto burn gas for heating.

EGPT Ltd beat tough competitionfrom companies including AERIAQFiltration Ltd, Climote, EcoscanLtd, Road Recycling Ireland andTerawatt Ireland for its innovation,energy performance andenvironmental impact and thebusiness potential of EGPTsystem. Each of the six finalistshad to pitch their product to a‘dragons’ den’ style panel of fourjudges in an open forum at theEnergy Show.

On receiving the SustainableEnergy Innovation Award, Dr PaulSikora said: “It’s a greatendorsement to have won thisAward and I’m delighted at oursuccess here today. There areapproximately 100 pressurereduction centres in Ireland – onaverage, each one of these hasthe potential to provide enoughenergy to heat a hotel orsupermarket by using our system.Ireland has the skillset to see thissystem implemented at thesecentres so we hope that by gainingrecognition as we have here todaythat we will be able to create jobs,reduce the waste of naturalgas and provide a new, efficientand clean energy source for thecountry.”

SEAI Chief Operations OfficerBrian Motherway said: “Sustainableenergy is fundamental to Ireland ’seconomic recovery and thesetechnologies offer businessopportunities to every type ofcompany in every sector. It is reallyencouraging to see the level ofcreativity that is flourishing in theenergy industry in Ireland , and allthe finalists here embody that.”

The Sustainable EnergyInnovation Award winners willreceive financial support towardstheir business development costs.