Prospects of Electrical Engineers in Power Plants

Electrical Engineering is the branch which is very interesting to study and to get the good opportunities after completion of the course. There are plenty of opportunities available for Electrical Engineers out of which Power Sector is the good field to work.

Why We Need to Work in a Power Sector?

Power Sector directly affects the GDP of the country. So any country will give the power sector, the top most priority of all. Many jobs are available in different parts of the Power Sector like Transmission, Generation and Distribution. Unlike other sectors it is a good resource to gain the knowledge and update our self.

If we observe the current statistics we can come to know the demand for the Power and Electrical Engineers. Currently the utility power sector in India had an installed capacity of 305.55 GW as of 31 August 2016 with 58.6% share, thermal power plants stood top amongst the other sources of power generation.

Thermal Power Plant

Thermal Power Plant

In order to address the lack of adequate electricity availability to all the people in the country by March 2019, Govt.of India has launched a scheme called “Power for All”. This scheme will ensure continuous and uninterrupted electricity supply to all households, industries and commercial establishments by creating and improving necessary infrastructure. It is a joint collaboration of GoI with states to share funding and create overall economic growth.

In developing countries like India the generation capacity becomes double every decade and establishing new corridors of transmission, re-structuring etc. the demand for good power engineers in PSUs (NTPC, PGCIL, NHPC, CEA, and many more) and Private sector companies is very promising.

Today, electrical engineers are much in demand due to the rising demand for electrical energy, the growth of audio and visual communication systems and automation in the industry.

Transmission

Transmission Network

Electrical Engineers who are working in power plants deal with Generation, Transmission and Distribution areas. Once the power is generated it need to transmit and distribute up to the Consumer homes. In transmission networks various protection methods used and lot of precautions taken for providing continuous supply. Electrical Engineers who is having experience in Relays and Protection Schemes have a huge scope in this field.

Electrical Engineers working in power plants deal with devices (motors, batteries, capacitors); processes and phenomena (such as power conversion, power drop and blackouts); analysis and design (such as estimation of the stability of a power network and power flow studies); and areas such as renewable energy and environmentally-friendly power systems. In addition to power utilities, power companies and organizations that maintain power networks, some power engineers work for universities and research institutions that advance the state of the art in power engineering and educate the next generation of power engineers.

Especially in Thermal Power plants one can join as Operations and Maintenance Engineer- Wherein they can have exposure to a huge variety of Machinery ranging from Coal Mills to Large Pumps to Boilers and ultimately Turbines. On the other hand, Electrical engineers can join TPP Projects in which we can gain rich knowledge about Installing & commissioning of various equipment of a TPP. Here, the knowledge will be diverse and not just confined to one or two equipment.

Role of Electrical Engineers in Power plants

  • Design and develop more efficient electrical machinery
  • Control Equipment for electricity generation
  • Guide and organize manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation and testing to assure conformation with specifications, codes and customer requisites.
  • Transmission and distribution of electrical energy and telecommunication.
  • Electrical engineers are using their technical knowledge for discharging management responsibilities also.

How Much Can You Earn?

As you are searching for an electrical engineering jobs for freshers, then you can expect to earn Rs 3.5- 4 lakh/annum. Similarly, an experienced candidate can earn around Rs 8-12 lakh/annum. It has been seen that private companies are paying better salary packages to their candidates. In a government company, you can expect to earn Rs 40,000-50,000/month. The college from where you have completed your education plays an important role in deciding your salary package. If you are from reputed college like IIT, then you can easily earn Rs 50-90 lakh/annum. Moreover, all reputable colleges are offering campus placement to their students and as a result, a student has a chance to seek employment in a multinational company.

The future prospects of the EEE graduates are very wide and bright in Power plants.