Swissgrid welcome NESO graduates to learn about international operations

Valuable insights into the management of electricity systems in Europe are being shared with members of NESO’s first graduate cohort that are visiting Swissgrid, Switzerland's Transmission System Operator (TSO) and Transmission Owner (TO).  

Below, you can read how Achilleas Moschakos and Sam Moors, are benefiting from this unique opportunity to work with Swissgrid, and how they can use their learnings to influence operations in Great Britain. 

Image

Achilleas' journey in R&D 

Achilleas joined the Research and Digitalisation (R&D) department at Swissgrid. This dynamic team focuses on identifying new technologies and processes that could support the transmission system in the energy transition. Achillea’s main project enhanced the calculation of the current-carrying capacity of high-voltage lines. By using Python and hourly spatial weather data, the multidisciplinary project team - including both R&D and System Operations experts - developed monthly temperature profiles for overhead lines, which could potentially unlock up to 20% additional capacity. As a result, this could reduce the current bottlenecks and help optimise outage planning. 

Sam's role in Short-Term Operational Planning 

Sam joined Swissgrid's Short-Term Operational Planning team. His project involved developing a tool to calculate the cost of individual outages on the Swiss network. This allowed him to explore the differences and similarities between the Swiss and UK electricity networks.

Image

Unlike NESO, Swissgrid acts as both System Operator and Transmission Owner. Swissgrid’s goal is to further optimise its outage planning process including finding the right balance between outage duration and work site costs. 

Swissgrid's planning also has to consider its four land borders and integration into the European electricity network. Sam’s work will play a role in reducing the duration of outages on the network which will have a positive effect on tariffs for its services to consumers. 

Adding value 

The placement at Swissgrid enabled Achilleas and Sam to develop a stronger understanding of international electricity systems and bring back valuable skills they can use in our operations here in Great Britain. The experience not only broadened their professional skills but also provided meaningful contributions to Swissgrid's operations too. 

Ready to play a key role in shaping Great Britain's future and a cleaner world?  

Our Early Careers offer growth and impact from the beginning. Choose from Apprenticeships, Industrial Placements or Graduate Programmes tailored for school leavers, university students, and soon-to-be graduates. Join us in driving the clean energy transition by viewing our roles below. 

Early careers