About the position
My client in the solar industry is looking for a Performance Engineer to join their team in Groblershoop, Northern Cape.
The successful individual will be accountable for Plant Performance oversight and review of the effectiveness of the Operating and Maintenance practices at the Power Plant, including the detailed analysis, monitoring and reporting to the CEO and Board of the CSP. In addition, they will serve as Owner's Technical Representative on site and to all relevant stakeholders.
Duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:
Monitor and Report on Plant Performance (40%)
- Analyse the performance of the power plant and systems including Solar Field and thermal storage equipment.
- Review all engineering associated with thermal Storage and HTF system performance including balance of plant equipment.
- Review and report on heat balance and power plant efficiency and prepare relevant heat transfer or other related performance models
- Review and record all failure events, analyse trends and make recommendations as needed to improve station availability
- Prepare Power Station performance evaluation reports to cover expected vs. actual performance and options to improve availability and reliability.
- Develop and conduct performance tests to assess equipment and process performance by comparing and analysing data to identify trends, shifts, and abnormalities and make recommendations to maintain or improve performance.
- Conduct capacity studies, enhance system reliability, and identify/implement productivity improvements including new technologies.
Review and Report on Operating and Maintenance Effectiveness (20%)
- Review plant critical equipment and preventive/predictive maintenance strategies of the O&M contractor to evaluate equipment health and reliability.
- Recommend changes in technologies used or frequency of maintenance effort to reduce equipment failures.
- Develop/review corrective action plans and monitor implementation effectiveness.
- Assist O&M Contractor in effectively implementing changes that ensure the safe and environmentally compliant operation of plant.
- Review and report on the development of O&M personnel to becoming fully trained and qualified and to be able to safely control the plant.
- Prepare and/or review reports and ensure they are properly submitted within the required timeframes. Provide input on budget development.
- Recommend to the Operating Manager any operating adjustments via instrumentation, equipment, process controls, or chemical additions to maintain specifications or optimize processes.
- Assist to develop and review Best Practice, Operations and Maintenance Procedures as required.
Provide On-site Technical Support, Oversight and Advice (20%)
- Provide specialized troubleshooting and technical advice as needed.
- Evaluate new industry predictive maintenance technologies and applicability to CSP Trough Power Plants and make recommendations to Plant Management
- Review and audit applied standards, practices and equipment specifications to ensure compliance to SA legislation
- Remain current on developing technical issues.
- Proactively monitor plant processes and make recommendations for optimizing them.
- Assist in long term and outage planning, and budgeting.
- Develop and initiate projects with Plant General Manager to assess feasibility, costs, and benefits of proposed equipment and process changes.
- Identify problems and recommend solutions to reduce costs and improve production capability.
- Develop/maintain strategic technical improvement plans for systems.
- Review performance and operating assumptions of O&M Contractor regarding load forecast and dispatching requirements
Serve as Owners Representative on site (20%)
- Represent the company's interests at Stakeholder meetings.
- Develop and maintain a positive professional relationship with internal and external customers.
- Embrace the company safety culture. Put safety first every day and serve as an Ambassador for the Owner in this regard.
- Ensure the safe and environmentally compliant operation of plant processes.
- Act as technical liaison to individuals within and outside the Project Company including Shareholders and Lenders
- Review all requirements of and submission to the Off-taker with respect the PPA and the O&M Agreement
Frameworks, boundaries and decision-making authority:
Professional project management and engineering practices within the framework and boundaries of the EPC-Contract, O&M Contract and PPA, discusses with and refers major decisions to CEO for advice and further handling.
- Occupational Health and Safety Act 1993 and its Regulations.
- Design Codes and Regulatory Context.
- All other Applicable SA Legislation
REQUIREMENTS:
- Minimum qualification: Mechanical, Electromechanical or Chemical Engineer University Degree from a reputed University or equivalent.
- Fluent in English
- Minimum experience: must have 5 years of relevant Engineering experience (3 years in South Africa): on a CSP Plant and/or a conventional thermal power plant.
- Must have relevant professional experiences in terms of relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
- Strong engineering and technical knowledge
- Good knowledge of industrial standards
- In-depth technical knowledge of Power Plant technologies and techniques
- Full understanding of Design Codes and Regulatory Context
- Have a strong assertive and technically confident profile:
- Able to implement, motivate, control and impose a strong technical solution
- Operate to high professional standards
- A non-compromising attitude
- Able to bridge cultural differences
- Able to work effectively with several stakeholders
- Flexible and work together with the Project partners and business relations in a constructive way.
- Knowledge of Excel and Microsoft Word
Desired Skills:
- performance engineer
- solar
- CSP
- plant performance
- operating and maintenance effectiveness
- technical support
- owners representative
- OHS
- design codes
- regulatory context
- power plant technologies
- power plant techniques
- stakeholder management
