Omexom’s Commissioning Engineer Valtteri Laine arrives at Fingrid’s Tammisto substation in Vantaa at seven in the morning with relay testing equipment.
First, he disconnects the electricity from the 110 kilovolt bay in a controlled manner so he can work on it. The power supply is replaced with electricity from elsewhere to ensure safety and non-stop disruption. Then the real work starts.
Today, he is conducting warranty testing on protective relays to ensure they are working correctly before the warranty period expires. Testing is done by simulating various fault conditions with the testing device.
The work is now largely done electronically. The secondary systems are becoming more and more technical and the work includes a lot of programming. Therefore, a computer with a variety of software is an essential tool for the commissioning engineer.
Laine was interested in technical studies but ended up in the electrical sector half by accident after getting into Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki to study electrical power engineering after upper secondary school. At the beginning of his career, Laine worked on projects for Fingrid where he learnt about systems as a whole.
“For the electricity sector, I recommend starting with the big picture, i.e. what kind of subsystems the overall system contains. It is important to know how they are meant to operate before you can understand why they are malfunctioning.”
Programming and problem solving
The relays used to be electromechanical, but today they are based on microprocessor technology and contain circuit boards. The commissioning engineer´s job requires strong IT management and programming skills.
“We do all sorts of logic inside the relay, but the programming is much simpler than what coders do. I design some electrical circuit diagrams and make small changes myself. However, the actual designers are a separate profession.”
The commissioning engineer’s work in both maintenance and commissioning requires problem solving, which is good for Laine. Challenges make the work interesting.
“Different customers use relays or protection devices from different manufacturers. So the manuals have been read several times.”
The commissioning engineer’s job also requires an understanding of electrical and occupational safety, since field work is done at substations. Preparatory work or reports can also be written remotely.
In the right industry
Valtteri Laine says that he enjoys being a commissioning engineer. In addition to problem solving, he lists constantly learning new things and variety as the best parts of his job. The colleagues are also nice.
“There are like-minded people working in the industry. If necessary, we can help even a competitor,” Laine reveals.
He is also satisfied with the pay. Although the small number of experts keeps the salary high, there is a flip side: because there are not enough experts, the workload may at times become high.
Laine strives to keep his working days to eight hours. However, he is sometimes called out to fix faults. In the case of a power outage or work necessitated by a power outage, he does not go home until the fault is corrected and the electricity restored.
Does it sometimes happen that an electrician accidentally cuts the electricity?
“There are those who have or will accidentally cut off the electricity. You have to remember that people do these jobs. If the electricity is momentarily lost, it will be restored. Often the biggest impact is on the worker’s professional pride.”
When the relay testing equipment has simulated a variety of fault conditions sufficiently, Laine returns the 110 kilovolt network to normal operating conditions and packs his things. It is time to continue testing at the next site.
