Industry background
As a power engineer you’d be involved in the production of energy through natural resources such as the extraction of oil and gas, as well as from renewable or sustainable sources, such as biofuels, hydropower, wind and solar power. You might work in a variety of roles including designing and testing machinery as well as developing ways of improving existing processes to reduce cost and minimise environmental impact.
What’s involved
Working as a power engineer, you might be involved in power generation, including nuclear, fossil fuels and renewable. You might work on a refinery ensuring the safety of these volatile products, or be involved in the design and development of wind turbines. Research and development into new and better ways to optimise production and finding renewable energy sources may also be an aspect of your job. Alternatively you may be a nuclear engineer, ensuring that plants run productively and safely, or even supervising the construction and maintenance of Royal Navy submarines.
Challenges of the future
Power engineers working in the UK now are focused on driving down our consumption of natural gas and coal in power plants and utilising renewable sources including tidal, wind and hydro-electric power. Many are also working to replace the UK's ageing electricity infrastructure safely and effectively, decommissioning old nuclear plants and ensuring the national grid does not suffer. Doing all this against a backdrop of increasing demand for energy and increasing demand for cleaner sources of power is the sector’s biggest challenge.
Career opportunities
The Government has proposed building up to 15 new power stations in the UK by 2020, many as replacements to current stations, which will require a wide variety of skilled and talented engineers to meet the challenges of balancing energy needs with energy supply and environmental concerns. With the field moving into such new areas, power engineers are required to continue learning throughout their career. Whilst many will get some of this knowledge and skill through the course of their everyday work, it is essential to get the support of a whole range of specialists including universities, training organisations, professional bodies and others.
The big players
BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Total, BG, Transco, npower, Powergen.
Industry specific events
Click here to find out about IMechE events relating to Power.