What the work is
A power engineer is responsible for electricity supply: getting power to plants, homes and equipment reliably, safely and with as little loss as possible. They operate substations, cable and overhead lines, switchboards and electric motors, calculate loads, plan repairs and outages, introduce energy saving and, more and more often, solar installations.
A typical day
Checking meter readings and the duty staff’s logs. Issuing a work permit for a job on electrical equipment and briefing the crew. Working out why losses are rising on one section. Preparing a planned outage: notifying consumers and arranging backup supply. Working with the design documents for a new connection.
How to start
- Learn electrical engineering, electric machines, relay protection and power-supply basics.
- Study the safety rules for electrical installations — nobody works without them.
- Do internships at a substation, an electricity supplier or an industrial plant.
- Keep an eye on renewable energy: it is a growing field.
Related professions
Mechanical engineer, occupational safety engineer, civil engineer, production technologist.