Transgrid will farewell one of the energy industry’s most experienced executives, with Marie Jordan, the utility’s Executive General Manager of Network, set to retire at the end of 2025.
The utility said Ms Jordan has played a pivotal role in accelerating Australia’s renewable energy transition and the nation’s journey to net zero, capping off an extraordinary international career at the forefront of electricity reliability and innovation over the last 40 years.
Ms Jordan has also been a driving force behind the safety and reliability of the 13,000km high-voltage transmission network across New South Wales and the ACT.
Transgrid CEO, Brett Redman, said, “Marie’s contributions have been instrumental in advancing our renewable energy initiatives and supporting our journey towards a more reliable, sustainable and affordable future.
“Her dedication and commitment to managing the network’s reliability and resilience has ensured that we continue to deliver consistent and dependable services during this transformative period.
“Marie’s knowledge and passion for sustainable energy have helped guide us through significant changes and her efforts in maintaining network stability while embracing new technologies have been truly commendable.”
Ms Jordan has played a critical role in planning the transition of the state’s high-voltage network to ensure the secure operation of the grid at up to 100 per cent instantaneous renewables.
Her focus has been identifying innovative solutions to provide new system strength and improve control room capabilities as coal-fired power stations are replaced by hundreds of geographically dispersed renewable generators.
When she was offered the role at Transgrid, Ms Jordan said she was “intrigued” by the sheer scale and pace of Australia’s energy transition.
“When I was at Peak Reliability in the United States, I always looked at Australia for insights because you didn’t have the normal mix of generation in your portfolio to easily transition to a fully renewable network,” Ms Jordan said.
“It really was a challenge – you didn’t have the gas generation you would have expected in other countries and the rapid pace had been set by the government’s decision to retire coal. So, it had a finite date, it had a hard push, and it was a network that needed a lot of change.”
Following extensive planning and investment to enable renewables to access the grid, Ms Jordan said it is the perfect time to hand it over to the people who will continue to lead the transition.
“I think we have a lot of the bones of the transition in place,” Ms Jordan said.
“We have a tonne of talented engineers looking at system strength, system stability, and how we can better connect our generators. It’s just this incredible ‘can-do’ attitude here. New South Wales is on a great path, and it was wonderful that it was under my leadership, but it was the talented people at Transgrid that made it happen.”
One of Ms Jordan’s greatest career challenges has been managing the complexity and unpredictability of large-scale electrical systems and improving safety standards across the industry.
As the only woman studying electrical power engineering at California State University Sacramento and working in the field with PG&E in the 1980s, Ms Jordan said her greatest career achievement was having the opportunity to mentor many talented women in the energy industry.
“Looking at all the different women that I’ve been able to help move forward in organisations around the world, making sure that they get the right opportunities to really showcase what they had, that’s the thing I’m proud of most. I leave a legacy of more women coming behind me than were in front of me,” she said.
Ms Jordan, who will continue to live in Newcastle, is looking forward to transitioning to retirement in December and realising her dream of travelling around Australia.
“We will miss Marie’s leadership and presence which have really helped shape our approach to the transition. Marie will always be part of the Transgrid family and we wish her all the very best for a fulfilling and well-deserved retirement,” Mr Redman said.
Transgrid will shortly launch a recruitment campaign to appoint her successor.
