Substation Operator

An electrical grid is like a relay race: The starting line is the power plant and the finish line is the customer’s home or business. In between, the baton — electricity — is passed between hands several times, which helps it travel farther, faster.

Within an electrical distribution system, the points at which the baton is passed are known as electrical substations, while the relay runner who does the passing is known as a Substation Operator.

If you’re a Substation Operator, it’s your job to inspect, operate, and maintain electrical substations, which contain equipment that transforms electricity from one voltage to another so that it can be safely used by customers. It’s kind of like a funnel: A substation regulates a rush of energy from a power plant and channels it into a controlled stream, which keeps it from overflowing and overwhelming the power grid. As the Substation Operator, you hold the funnel, do the pouring, and clean up any spills.

In terms of daily duties and responsibilities, that means operating electrical equipment that controls the flow of electricity, such as current converters, voltage transformers, and circuit breakers. It also means taking readings of switchboard instruments to monitor how much electricity your substation consumes and distributes, communicating with Load Dispatchers to receive switching instructions, monitoring and inspecting equipment to detect defaults, and replacing defective fuses and switches.

Basically, you’re the “mini” version of a Power System Dispatcher or a Power Plant Operator. Instead of directing the flow of electricity at the power plant, however, you channel it through your individual substation — almost as if you’re a Franchisee and your power plant is the franchise!