The public has voted the EirGrid East West Interconnector (EWIC), which links the electricity transmission grids of Ireland and Great Britain, as Engineering Project of the Year at this year’s Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards, in association with ESB. At 264km in length, some 187km of which is beneath the Irish Sea, the EWIC transports energy from a converter station in Co. Meath to North Wales. It is the largest voltage-sourced conversion scheme currently in operation in the world. The winner was chosen from a shortlist of five and the public was asked to select what they considered to be the project that has most benefited Irish society. “The East West Interconnector embodies the best of engineering excellence. The project represented a significant engineering challenge and required the co-ordination of many engineering disciplines to bring the development to a successful conclusion,” said Engineers Ireland director general, John Power. “Once again this year, all the shortlisted entries highlight the contribution that the engineering sector makes to Ireland,” he added. Dubliner Kevin Harnett won the Chartered Engineer of the Year category at the awards ceremony, which took place last Friday at Dublin’s Four Seasons Hotel. Harnett scooped the prize for his work with OpenHydro on the development of a commercial scale tidal stream turbine. For details of all the winners at the 2013 Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards, which is the annual showcase for engineering excellence in Ireland, click the video below.