Hydro Group Manager, Ross Galbraith

At school, Ross was always interested in maths and physics. His early interest in engineering was demonstrated by his opening machines up to see what was inside. Ross studied electrical and electronic engineering at university.

In his final year, he did a summer placement at Longannet, a coal-fired power station. After completing his degree, he applied for the graduate programme at a national power company. He’s been working in generation ever since.

Ross’s technical capabilities have helped him in his career. His engineering degree gave him a core skill, and then experience of different plants and technologies deepened his knowledge. He is confident moving around different plants and working with different technologies.

Every engineer wants to become a station manager – to get to the position where they’re in charge of the site. Ross says that when he first started, it seemed like a long way to go. He’s proud he’s achieved it.

Visitors are often surprised to see that tropical plants flourish here. Although snow may lie on the surrounding mountains, the temperature inside the power station is always a steady 18°C because it is insulated deep within the mountain.

After joining the power company, Ross worked with a range of different technologies at coal- fired, hydroelectric and gas power stations. He provided technical support as an electrical engineer, dealing with high-voltage systems. 

He became technical risk engineer and then E C and I (electrical, control and instrumentation) manager at a power station in Fife, Scotland. In each of these new roles, Ross widened his range of expertise.

Ross is a chartered engineer (he is registered with the Engineering Council) and a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology – this is the highest grade of membership, awarded to people who have made significant contributions to the industry.

Ross looks out over the enormous cavern carved inside the mountain at Cruachan power station. The cavern is 36 metres long and 90 metres high – large enough to hold a cathedral.

These large cylinders are the motors that start and stop the power station’s turbines. They do this as and when required, which helps Cruachan power station to react quickly when power is needed.

For a time, Ross worked as a maintenance manager at gas plants near London. When he returned to Scotland, he became responsible for running the power station's hydroelectric plants: Cruachan, Galloway and Lanark. 

Following reorganisation of the power company's management structure, Ross became head of UK hydro for the company, which meant that, in addition to the hydroelectric plants, he was also in charge of Daldowie, a sewage-drying plant that processes about 35% of Glasgow's sewage sludge.

Ross’s management roles place less emphasis on his technical capabilities and more on managing people and budgets. Being able to interact with a wide range of people is key.

The screen shows Cruachan’s generation system. As water rushes down, its kinetic energy turns 2-tonne blades within the power station’s 4 turbines. These blades are connected to electricity generators.

Ross looks out from Cruachan’s control room. Around 40 people work at the plant, including electrical control and instrumental engineers, whose jobs involve finding and resolving faults, keeping equipment up to date and electrical maintenance.

Managing a team that tackles engineering problems, rather than dealing directly with those problems himself, brings its own challenges, Ross says. He needs to have confidence in his team. His natural inclination is to get involved himself, but he’s had to learn that that isn’t his role any more.

He is conscious that part of his job involves encouraging new generations of engineers in their careers, learning through experience as Ross did.

“As an engineer, you can get a phone call any time asking you to inspect equipment. Now, I might get asked to do something for Google or do an educational presentation. My time is spent differently.” -Ross.

Ross moves around so much, so he doesn’t form the same bonds with colleagues as when he saw the same faces every day. But he now talks to more people than he ever did as an engineer.

Ross says that travelling is the hardest part of his job: “I spend lots of time in cars and planes. It’s important for the business that I travel to get the message out. But it can be tiring at times.”

The generation business as a whole is in a period of huge change, Ross says. Just in the field of renewable technology, the industry's developed enormously in recent years. There has been massive investment in renewable energy, including solar-distributed generation. 

The energy industry is moving away from conventional thermal generation, i.e. coal-fired power stations. These changes in the energy system bring challenges to Ross’s team.

There are many routes into the industry, Ross says. Some enter as graduates, like Ross did; others do apprenticeships. Developing a core skill is important – from there, you can expand your knowledge and mould your career in any direction."

Power companies actively advertise in universities for summer students. They may have a scholarship programme, offering places not only in generation, but also in other fields, such as networks and renewables.

Fewer people enter the more traditional parts of the business than they used to, resulting in a skills shortage. In many areas, the workforce is ageing. There is great demand for skilled young workers looking to develop their careers.