Senior Engineer

The Role

Pele Green is seeking a talented, highly motivated, and self-driven Senior Engineer. The Engineer will provide engineering support to the Asset Management team, Construction Management team, Investment and Funding team, and Project Development team. The role will report directly to the Head of Energy Operations.

Job Responsibilities

General

• Detailed analysis of electrical engineering LV (LV ≤ 1 000 V), MV (MV ≤ 33 kV) and HV (132kV) design drawings (equipment, substation bay layouts and configurations, power line clearances and insulation).
• Analysis of electrical schematic drawings and single line diagrams.
• Cost evaluation of electrical engineering scope of work, including equipment and construction costs.
• Management of switchgear, transformer, AC breaker and specialist equipment manufacturers and/or suppliers (verification of specification conformation and factory acceptance testing.
• Coordination/oversight of manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation and testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, regulatory and customer requirements.
• HSE assessment and HSE audit close-out.
• EPC related warranty issues and close-out of the EPC contract obligations.
• Facilitating mark-ups on project construction and as-built drawings.
• Reporting to project stakeholders.
• Operate computer-assisted engineering and design software and equipment to perform engineering tasks (AutoCAD, PV*Syst, Wind*Syst optional, Homer optional)
• Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish construction and installation standards and specifications.
• Inspect completed installations and observe operations, to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational and safety standards.
• Prepare specifications for purchase of materials and equipment.
• Develop budgets, estimating labour, material and construction costs.
• Compile data and write reports regarding existing and potential engineering studies and projects.
• Collect data relating to commercial and residential development, population, and power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems.
• Collect field surveys and study maps, graphs, diagrams, and other data to identify and correct system problems.

Operations

• Review of operations and maintenance reports and data from the operator.
• Recommend improvements of preventative and corrective maintenance and make recommendations of predictive maintenance.
• Review of expert engineering reports and data from the external service providers.
• Plant / asset performance supervision – ensuring that the plant performs according to the PPA and the relevant contractual performance ratios.
• Integrate condition monitoring and optimization – improving generation and
• revenue as consequence.
• Asset performance monitoring and reporting.
• Oversight / management of O&M provider (and other contractors) – ensuring that the O&M contractor performs all the technical work and maintenance as per the O&M Schedule and manual and ensuring sufficient technical O&M reporting.
• Warranty administration – liaising with the EPC contractor daily regarding open and closed warranty claim notifications and ensuring that the EPC execute and resolve all the warranty claims, ensuring that O&M and newly constructed or installed equipment or facility manufacturer warranty requirements are adhered to and not overlooked.
• Plat(re) commissioning-ensuring that all systems and components of the plant are designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained according to the operations requirements.
• Technical Risk mitigation in accordance with the SANS standards and applicable electrical standards during the implementation of Engineering Retrofits, Engineering changes and plant optimization activities
• Technical recommendations to ensure safety, maintenance and operability practices and efficient utilization of system space and equipment spacing.
• Quality audit / inspections - aimed at checking, measuring, or testing of one or more product or component characteristics and to relate the results to the requirements to confirm compliance.
• Re-powering and upgrades – ensuring that all additional upgrades required or needed to be done on the plant are done to the satisfaction of the Sponsors and Lenders and all necessary reporting is done.
• Monitoring install / retrofit – ensuring that all necessary installation or retrofitting of equipment by the O&M Contractor or external contractors is within acceptable standards and does not hinder the performance of the plant and daily production.
• As-Built design documentation - ensuring that all the As-Built drawings from Construction, new upgrades or installation are of the correct version and available for O&M use and other contractors.
• Plant design review – ensuring that all new designs are compliant to various international standards and are satisfactory to the requirements of the Sponsors and Lenders.
• Grid code compliance – ensuring that SPV is fully compliant to the requirements of the South African grid code and necessary studies are completed.
• Harmonic and fault levels studies – overview and monitoring of all the studies and test needed to ensure that SPV is complaint according to the Grid Code and Power Quality Guidelines requirements for Harmonics and fault levels.

Engineering and construction

• Technical review of complete designs, equipment sizing, drawings specifications, data sheets and other supplementary design work in the degree of detail necessary to enable to client’s inspections to clearly determine the engineering, procurement manufacturing and construction work requirements.
• Review of status of engineering progress and deliverables.
• Design review meetings with the Owner’s Engineer and the Lender’s Technical Advisor.
• Reviewing approved Construction procedures, engineering documents and method statements.
• Tracking engineering design activities at the project site, correction of errors, required revisions to drawings and specifications and the maintenance of ‘As-built’ drawings to incorporate deviations from the AFC drawings.
• Tracking engineering change requests, initial operation, testing and remedying of defects.
• Receipt and approval of the EPC final dossier.
• Construction Management Participation in a joint venture with Enel Green Power on the following Wind farms: Soetwater Wind farm and Karusa Wind farm.
• Technical reviews and Technical Due Diligence during the development of Redstone CSP.

Technical advice and assistance to Project Development

• Assisting in the scope of work for the Owner’s Technical Specification.
• Assisting in conducting of technical due diligence, including review and update of technical aspects of project documents such as the Grid impact study, Hydrology report, Geotechnical report, Technology assessment, Energy Forecast, Performance ratios, NPV, Load Profiles, PVSyst model files, Resource assessments, Topographical surveys, Environmental Impact Assessments, Codes and Standards, etc.
• Assisting in drafting EPC and O&M contracts and Heads of Terms.
• Assisting in conducting procurement processes for EPC and O&M scopes of work, engage with stakeholders, draft owners’ requirements, and adjudicate responses.
• Assisting in identifying tender opportunities and managing technical components of tenders, ensuring compliant submissions.

Requirements

• BEng or BSc (Eng.) in Electrical, Mechatronic or Electronic Engineering (other streams can be motivated)
• 5 - 7 years’ experience in engineering design and/or project management (within the renewable energy industry will be preferred)
• Ability to work across multiple work streams, projects, and contracts.
• People and Team management
• Experience with relevant programmes (AutoCAD, PV*Syst, Wind*Syst optional, Homer optional).
• Valid Drivers’ License and own car – site visits are required.
• Commercial competency
• Budget management
• Risk management.