Energy Harbor

Strategic Electrical Engineering Co-op

May - August 2023 • Perry, OH

What I liked

I liked the education atmosphere. They held several teaching and learning sessions for co-ops and new hires to improve our overall understanding of the plant. I also really liked that I was given a Preventative Maintenance Project which I solely worked on, with guidance from the engineer in charge of the system. Furthermore, I appreciated the willingness to send me on walkdowns and on NLO rounds to understand the how the plant interacts with one another. If you are willing to learn, they go out of their way to educate. Finally, I loved the willingness to spread their knowledge. Everyone has the teaching and sharing attitude to make everyone better engineers. I learned so much that I haven't learned in my classes.

What I wish was different

There is a mandatory new hire employee manual, and I wish I worked on projects coinciding with the manual. I focused mainly on the manual, then started longer term projects. The manual involves reading numerous procedures and business practices which is not very fulfilling. Once I started my projects, I really enjoyed my time. I wish the manual was interweaved with my projects to keep the work feeling beneficial.

Advice

If you do get hired, ask to join as many walkdowns as possible. You can never stop learning about the plant. Don't be afraid to ask question, because the atmosphere is welcoming to the questioning attitude. You will succeed more by asking questions. I also recommend pushing to work on projects along side the manual instead of starting projects after.

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Mechanical Engineering Intern

January - May 2023 • Perry, OH

What I liked

This last rotation I was able to support engineering activities during the planned outage, which allowed me to walkdown parts of the plant which are typically not accessible during normal operation. I was also given responsibility for various engineering tasks such as engineering changes, Condition Reports, and Specification Revisions. Overall, the knowledge on communication and engineering work I have acquired will be valuable in future engineering positions or maybe future rotations at Energy Harbor. This co-op experience has encouraged me to pursue a position in the nuclear field because of the community and safety culture within it.

What I wish was different

During my time working at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, I cannot say there were any major issues with the quality or aspects of the job. Some assignments were more difficult or time consuming than others, but these challenged me and allowed me to learn new methods for completing task with advice from experienced engineers in my unit. Going into the plant and seeing work and testing being done in person was a major highlight of my rotation. The opportunities to go into the plant were limited at times due to heavier workloads, but I understood that the work we were assigned allows the plant to continue to operate.

Advice

Come ready to learn. This is something that I thought I was ready for when I was preparing for this experience, however the vast amount of knowledge that we have exposure to is overwhelming. Take it slow and ask lots of questions and listen to the individuals who have had the years of experience, and the try to challenge yourself by creating your own solutions then share them with others. Being willing to absorb information is invaluable as a skill in any engineering field and will allow you to eventually become a knowledgeable source of information. Additionally, building a good working relationship with your coworkers will provide an understanding and beneficial environment to learn and progress.

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Mechanical/Structural Design Co-op

January - May 2022 • Perry, OH

What I liked

I was able to enjoy an unexpectedly high degree of responsibility. Nuclear is a highly regulated industry, but I was given projects with minimal supervision. The projects were also impactful and represented everyday work at a nuclear plant. This co-op program is essentially an onboarding program barring good performance. You are less of an intern and more of a tentative new hire. Also, it cannot be ignored that plant walkdowns are a major highlight. Nuclear is a unique industry and thus seeing the plant and the procedures for navigating it are uniquely interesting.

What I wish was different

I would have liked more feedback on my projects. This may have had to do with my placement. Due to the multi-year longitudinal work of the design department, finality isn't guaranteed. I may have only completed one piece of a larger project rather than working an entire project. This wasn't an issue for the other coops I talked with so do not let my experience or poor luck persuade you absolutely. Also the trainings manual... Everybody will have something to say about the training manual...

Advice

When you get or see an opportunity, take it. There's always something happening. Whether its an NRC, INPO, or WANO inspection, or a plant component fails and requires rapid fixing. A more mundane item would be new employees completing walkdowns for training. It never hurts to ask if you could shadow or contribute to these items. Each experience provides valuable insight to this one of a kind industry and gets you more mentally acclimated to plant operation. They also provide good ways to network within the plant and meet new people.

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