Cillian O’Donoghue is Policy Director at Eurelectric, the voice of Europe’s electricity industry, representing the full value chain across generation, distribution, and supply. Since taking up the role in May 2022, he has been at the forefront of shaping the policy and regulatory framework underpinning Europe’s power sector during one of the most consequential periods in its history.
At Eurelectric, Cillian leads the development and execution of the sector’s policy strategy, working at the highest levels with EU institutions, regulators, and industry leaders. He has played a pivotal role in advancing the electricity sector’s position on market design reform, grid investment and modernisation, and the regulatory conditions required to deliver large-scale electrification and a net-zero power system. His work has helped position electricity as the central pillar of Europe’s decarbonisation and industrial competitiveness agenda.
A key dimension of his leadership is anticipating and shaping emerging demand trends. Through the Eurelectric AI flagship, he is actively driving the policy debate on the rapid growth of AI-driven electricity consumption and the expansion of hyperscale data centres, highlighting their transformative impact on load profiles, system flexibility, and infrastructure planning. He has been a leading voice on the need to align Europe’s digital and energy strategies—ensuring that the deployment of AI and data infrastructure is supported by timely grid expansion, efficient market signals, and a resilient, decarbonised power system.
Prior to joining Eurelectric, Cillian led the Climate & Energy division at Eurometaux, where he focused on industrial decarbonisation and electrification. He also spent five years advising energy clients within FleishmanHillard and gained experience at the European Commission DG Energy, working on gas security.
