Richard Garlick

Richard is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with a career spanning nuclear, hydropower and geothermal power generation since 2009. He has a proven track record in technical leadership, maintenance engineering, plant operations and project delivery across high‑hazard, highly regulated environments. His experience covers the full lifecycle of power assets-from design and commissioning through to operations, refurbishment and decommissioning-with a consistent focus on engineering excellence and supporting the UK’s low‑carbon energy ambitions.

Richard has led multidisciplinary teams across complex mechanical, electrical and control system projects, delivering upgrades, plant replacements and operational improvements. During his time with Mercury Energy in New Zealand, he managed major hydropower and geothermal investment programmes, including intake plant replacements, turbine governor upgrades and PLC control system modernisation. He also coordinated commissioning activities across multiple stations and resolved pressure safety shortfalls across several Major Hazard Facilities.

Prior to this, Richard spent more than a decade at EDF’s Dungeness B power station, providing engineering oversight for fuel route operations, recovery activities, maintenance and plant modifications.  Across all roles, he has demonstrated strong decision‑making, rigorous safety case understanding and the ability to guide teams through complex, high‑risk engineering tasks. 

Project Engineering & Delivery: Experienced in driving projects through design, execution, commissioning and closeout, including multi‑year investment programmes.

Commissioning Leadership: Authored commissioning plans and led commissioning activities across hydropower, geothermal and nuclear plant systems.

Nuclear Engineering Expertise: Extensive experience in safety case changes, risk assessment, mitigation and contractor management within nuclear environments.

Operational Excellence: Delivered maintenance strategies, process improvements and troubleshooting support for high‑hazard operations, including fuel handling and defueling readiness.

Technical Leadership: Frequently directed multidisciplinary teams, developed procedures and specifications, and led formal decision‑making and fault investigations.

Design & System Upgrades: Designed plant systems including pond circulation and cooling upgrades, turbine governor replacements and pressure safety remediation.  

Likes:   Biking, hiking, boats and campervans.

Dislikes:   Moving house (after moving six times in five years), voice notes and grey skies. 

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