Shaun Andrews is an Electrical Engineer. He has worked for KEC for three years. 

How did you train for work in this field?

My primary training was obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Idaho. However, an internship at KEC, prior work experience and specialized training conferences aided me as well. During my studies at the University of Idaho I also worked as an electrical engineering ambassador presenting engineering fundamentals to K-12 students, which was a ton of fun! 

What made you interested in working for KEC? 

During my internship, I became immediately aware of the positive culture, collaborative environment and plentiful learning opportunities that made KEC a desirable place to work. In addition, my favorite power engineering professor in college always spoke very highly of KEC and mentioned that people who worked there often ended up staying with the cooperative for their entire career. 

What does a day look like for you as an engineer?

A day in the life for me as an electrical engineer can vary quite dramatically. Each year KEC makes significant investments into the electric grid through capital construction projects and maintenance. I work with other experienced engineers at times to perform system analysis and develop new project scope details.

I also work closely with KEC’s electro technicians who are responsible for the maintenance, repair, testing and configuration of specialized equipment such as meters, reclosers, regulators, relays and more on the grid and in substations. As an electrical engineer, my role in this may include specifying and procuring the material, developing the device settings, and performing commissioning tests to ensure the device will function as needed on the KEC system. 

How does your work improve reliability for members?

At KEC, engineers like me are always looking for ways to improve reliability for our members. One of the ways we do this is by conducting sectionalizing studies, which involves verifying protective devices are installed at the right location to minimize outage areas. This requires critically analyzing each piece of the system, validating that devices are sized and configured to work properly in coordination with each other and ensuring that equipment is of sufficient capacity to provide our members with dependable power. 

I also helped develop and now assist in overseeing KEC’s Inspection and Maintenance Plan that directly serves to improve reliability for members by ensuring that our equipment is routinely inspected and functional. Engineers lead end-of-life equipment replacement projects and remain actively involved in a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system integration project. SCADA will allow KEC to remotely monitor and control devices to be alerted to abnormalities and respond to outage situations quicker.

What is the biggest challenge in your job?

I think the biggest challenge for me is keeping track of all of the moving parts associated with the rapid growth we have been seeing in conjunction with a high volume of system improvements and maintenance projects. Materials and equipment have very long lead times across the industry right now, so engineers must work diligently to forecast needs further out into the future than ever before to ensure projects can be completed timely and meet the needs of our growing power system.

What is the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is working with a stellar team who share the same desire to stay ahead of power system growth, continue to meet the needs of our members and all the while having fun doing it!