It’s both a challenge and an honour to work in Iberdrola’s Technology Department. Our mission is to lower the company’s technical risk and to help prevent breakdowns and maintain the electrical power plants, in addition to finding new ways of improving their efficiency and prolonging their useful life.
When we talk of maintenance we’re not just referring to supervising the correct day-to-day operation of the power plants –that’s the responsibility of the people who work there. We step in whenever there’s an incident, and we monitor the evolution of our installations, both during their operation and when the power stations are inoperative. We meticulously assess all the equipment and components and verify that they are in the best possible condition, that they show no more than the expected wear and tear, and that safety is absolutely guaranteed.
As you can imagine, our work requires a high degree of specialisation, which means that we need to be able to count on top quality equipment and above all a first-rate human team.
In order to respond to any need that may arise and to be able to provide the right solutions, the department is divided into five areas: material technology, assessment of mechanical equipment, assessment of electrical equipment, control systems, and finally vibrations and performance. In total our team comprises of 47 professionals based variously in Castellón, Bilbao, La Muela and Madrid, and –given the international scope of Iberdrola– we also collaborate closely with our colleagues in Scotland and Mexico.
As its name suggests, the team I am in charge of is formed by very highly-skilled technicians –mechanical and electrical engineers, physicists, chemists and technicians specialising in equipment and materials–, whose vast knowledge and experience has led to our current status as advisers and consultants to other companies, and to the frequent presence of our members as speakers at congresses and conferences. We are involved in drafting regulations and guidelines and in giving seminars, and we are also active members of key national and international organisations in the electrical sector.
One of the aspects of this work that gives me most pride is that we contribute to maintaining the constant flow of knowledge and to fostering communication within the company. Everything revolves around information and an ongoing process of learning. Whatever experience we gain in one plant, we then pass on to the others, and this data is stored in an archive containing all the reports compiled in the last 50 years. Some of our power plants are very old, and thanks to this archive we know how they were built and what repairs they have undergone. The knowledge accumulated over this time is key to resolving the problems of the future.
Another of the characteristics which best describes the Technology Department, and which makes it different, is that it knows no boundaries. In addition to supporting staff in all the Iberdrola plants in Spain, the United Kingdom and Mexicowe also collaborate in matters of technical support with the renewables area, we advise Iberdrola Ingeniería with regard to issues of in-service inspection, corrosion and selection of materials, and we visit the power plants in Brazil and Latviain the case of any major incident.
This fieldwork is essential for seeing the problems first hand and for making direct contact with the personnel in the power plants, but it requires considerable dedication and means we have to be permanently on the move. The constant comings-and-goings can be seen in the office. On any normal day, maybe half the desks are empty. Another sign is that the backpacks containing the protective clothing and the individual safety equipment necessary for working in the plant are always ready in the storeroom for travel at a moment’s notice.
But that’s not all. The laboratories (for materials, control systems, dielectrics and lubricants) and the work of diagnosing the vibration signals are essntial complements to performing the tests and determining what may have caused a fault in a component (this is what’s known as “root cause analysis”), in order to be able to prevent its recurrence. We are even entitled to conduct research projects.
Finally I’d like to highlight another function of the Department: the relationship with the suppliers. We don’t just give the suppliers a detailed specification of what we need for a repair or for new equipment; we also go to their facilities to carry out tests, supervise the production process, verify that the requirements are being met and that the specified materials are being used, and so on.
For all these reasons, for the dedication of the members of the TECNO team, and for a whole lot more besides, it is an honour to work with this team in a company like Iberdrola.
