Working in Grid Operations at ERCOT provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to the real-time operations of the electric power grid while developing your engineering and leadership skills. Our world class, exceptional engineering teams work collaboratively with generators and control room operators to solve the energy demands of today using cutting edge technologies and resources.
Real Time Power Engineer provides engineering analysis and technical support to ensure continuing reliable operations of the electric power grid in compliance with NERC Standards, ERCOT Protocols and Market Guides. Provides electrical engineering analysis and technical support for the planning and operation of the electric power system. Implements appropriate system modeling, develops tools and procedures to monitor and control the system, performs system studies, analyzes simulated or actual operating results, develops solutions to current or future system issues, and appropriately reports findings and recommendations.
- Works closely with the ERCOT Control Room System Operators providing engineering support through execution of power flow studies, stability assessments, outage coordination support, system applications support, and troubleshooting of all software tools to maintain impeccable situational awareness
- Maintains high-quality, continuous execution of the online ERCOT State Estimator, Real-Time Contingency Analysis, and Voltage/Transient Stability Analysis tools
- Must be able to think and react quickly in a high-stress, high-urgency environment
- Performs independent engineering studies including power flow and stability analysis utilizing advanced applications
- Assesses grid conditions and recommends appropriate action based on engineering studies
- Develops and authors appropriate management plans for mitigation of temporary and ongoing grid vulnerabilities
- Identifies network model and applications quality issues and works with ERCOT support groups to resolve associated problems
- Assists with execution of ERCOT System Operations procedures and recommends improvements if needed
- Works side-by-side with ERCOT System Operators and in direct communication with ERCOT Market Participants to maintain reliability and security of the ERCOT Interconnection
- Gathers information and notifies ERCOT management and engineering support groups of noteworthy grid events and incidents
- Troubleshoots all situational awareness tools available to Control Room staff
- Logs information regarding grid conditions to continually track the status of the ERCOT Interconnection and highlight recurring concerns
- Supports the ERCOT Network Model database load process
- Processes off-hours ERCOT Outage Scheduler submissions as needed
- Prepares daily/regular reports to inform ERCOT departments of current grid status and recent developments
- Serves as subject matter expert for System Operations Support cross-training and project assistance
- Must be able to quickly develop proficiency with grid applications, particularly Alstom EMS Suite, Powertech DSATools, and ABB MMS Suite
- Expertise with MS Office Suite, with emphasis on Excel including macros and some VBA coding
- Must be able to obtain NERC Reliability Coordinator System Operator Certification within first 6 months of employment
- Willingness to work a rotating 12-hour shift, including nights and weekends
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:
- Minimum 1 year experience as a power system engineer or similar type role.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
- Experience within the electric utility industry
- Experience with power flow analysis software. Examples include: Powerworld or PSSE
- Experience working with EMS (State Estimator, Realtime Contingency Analysis, Voltage and Transient Stability Analysis).
- Experience with any of the following: VBA, Python, SQL.
Salary and level will be based on overall experience as determined by ERCOT.
EDUCATION
- Bachelor's Degree: Electrical Engineering or related field (Required)
- or a combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge to a major in such fields is required
CERTIFICATION
- PE Professional Engineer (Preferred)
- NERC Reliability Coordinator System Operator Certification (Preferred)
Electric Reliability Council of Texas
Texas United States
www.ercot.com
