Northern Ireland’s electricity grid operator, SONI (System Operator for Northern Ireland), recently welcomed a group of 2nd year Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Renewable Energy Engineering students from the Ulster University Magee Campus to its Control Centre in Belfast.

The visit gave the students a unique opportunity to expand their knowledge and gain valuable insights into the Northern Ireland energy system, including the work the grid operator is doing to support sustainable economic growth in the North West.

During the visit, they had the opportunity to talk to SONI’s team of expert engineers, observing cutting-edge technologies in action, and learn about different career pathways within SONI.

HR Business Partner, Caroline Ashe explains: “At SONI, we are passionate about supporting and developing the workforce of the future. It was great to be able to welcome these students to SONI and showcase the work we are doing to transform the power system. It is important for us to support the next generation of engineers and inspire them to pursue careers in this exciting field.”

Senior Engineer, Niall McClements, gave the students an overview of Northern Ireland’s Transmission System and SONI’s key projects in the North West. They also heard from SONI’s Emergency Preparedness and Training Lead, Michael Flynn, who talked about Real-Time System Operations.

The group were also given a tour of SONI’s Control Centre where they learned more about the system operator’s role in keeping electricity flowing throughout Northern Ireland, ensuring energy is safely moved around the network from where it is generated to where it is needed.

The visit concluded with a discussion with SONI’s recent graduates, Finian Hagan and Kyle McMahon, whose journey from graduates to full-time team grid engineers reinforces the value of developing future leaders in the energy sector.