The progress-driven leader’s full circle journey with Powerlink
For Jason, keeping the lights on is more than just a job; it’s a legacy. Thirty years in the energy industry has culminated in Jason’s most impactful project yet - driving the transition to Powerlink’s new Advanced Energy Management System (AEMS) as a Team Leader. He can’t do it alone, so read on and see how you can help shape the future of Queensland’s energy landscape.
Shining a light
When you flick a switch, you rely on the fact that your lights will turn on. It’s something most of us take for granted, unaware of the complex network, technology and expert operators at work behind the scenes to maintain this reality. For Jason, this is his biggest marker for success.
“If everyone goes about their business and doesn’t realise Powerlink is here, I’ve done my job right. To make their access to power so seamless that they never realise the transmission network exists and underpins everything in the grid - that, to me, is an achievement.”
It’s a philosophy that has guided Jason through his 30-year career in the energy industry. The afternoons of his youth were spent playing around with technology or fixing old cars, so pursuing an electrical apprenticeship was a natural next step. After spending a few years learning the ropes in electricity distribution, he seized an opportunity to join Powerlink’s Development Engineering Officer scheme.
The scheme saw Jason rotate through a few different areas, but when he landed in the Energy Management System (EMS) support team, he knew he’d found his niche.
“I’d worked with control systems before, but until that point, I’d never seen anything that had the functions the EMS did. Walking into the control room and seeing all the information at your fingertips, it makes you go, ‘Oh wow, this is how it all comes together.’ Especially in the early 2000s, it was something new and exciting. I’ve been working in and around the EMS ever since.”
Charting the course
When Jason joined Powerlink, the previous Energy Management System (EMS) project was wrapping up. Even back then, it was designed to pave the way for what was to come. Now, Jason finds himself keenly involved in shaping its next chapter: the Advanced Energy Management System (AEMS).
“It’s not like-for-like. We’ve taken 25 years to develop the current EMS to where it is, so this new system will start with the lessons learned from it and continue to grow. It’s going to take time to find our feet, but there’s a lot of promise for what the future holds.”
A role as AEMS Team Leader gives Jason the perfect platform to apply all the skills he’s spent 30 years honing. Finding the answers to questions we don’t even have yet takes some serious out-of-the-box thinking - a challenge Jason relishes.
“Delivering something like the AEMS puts you at the forefront of what the business is trying to achieve. That means there aren’t always frameworks in place that highly technical people like to have. But it means you can chart your own course - we’re the ones developing the processes that will be in place for years to come at Powerlink.”
Powering progress
As Jason and the team work to deliver the AEMS, he’s constantly drawing on the guidance of the mentors who have shaped his Powerlink career - many of whom he worked with on the original EMS.
“There have been a few people from the first EMS team who had a very positive effect on me and shaped the way I’m implementing the new system,” Jason reflects. “It makes me think about how what I’m doing now could shape the next generation of the AEMS. My hope is that in another 20 years, we’ve learned lessons and mapped trends in our latest system that provide a solid framework for us to build on in the future.”
As meaningful as that future goal is, Jason is also keenly aware of the impact his work has on today’s landscape. He’s reminded of it every time he flicks on a light switch.
“Selfishly, I do like having lights on,” Jason laughs. “And working for Powerlink, there’s a sense that you’re doing something tangible to keep the lights on in Queensland. Particularly on the EMS - in my perspective, it’s a key transition point between the business and the network. The work it does controlling the high voltage network and feeding data to the rest of the business is what allows Powerlink to function.”
Every day, Jason is building the AEMS that will power Queensland for years to come. But he’s not doing it alone. There’s an entire team making it happen - and with even more change on the horizon, Jason knows we’ll need more passionate, driven and ambitious people to take up the torch. Will it be you?