System Operator Ba-Assoc-Staff

El Paso Electric•El Paso, TX

About The Position

Under the general supervision of the BA Reliability Supervisor, the System Operator is responsible for the economic dispatch and reliable operation of EPE’s generation facilities during normal and emergency system conditions. The role implements energy schedules, operates the phase shifter, issues switching orders for generators within EPE’s Balancing Area, processes real-time electronic tags (ETags), and coordinates real-time energy and transmission schedules. The operator maintains and updates the generator outage database and calculates forced outage rates and forecast error. The position supports EPE’s responsibilities as a Balancing Authority by meeting interchange, load, and generation needs in compliance with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) reliability standards. It also requires compliance with applicable Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rules, company policies, procedures, and codes of ethics, as well as governmental employment, safety, and environmental requirements. The role requires the ability to work rotating 12-hour shifts and irregular or long hours as needed, make timely decisions under high-stress conditions, and travel for training, seminars, and industry-related meetings. The listed starting salary is $70,100–$93,788.

Requirements

Associate’s degree from an accredited college or university in engineering or another analytical or technical field, with basic knowledge of electric theory or power systems, or an equivalent combination of related training and experience.
0–5 years or more of experience required, as stated in the posting.
Experience with a utility company in energy or transmission scheduling or dispatch and related System Operations functions.
Intermediate knowledge of electrical principles, procedures, and components; power system operations, including power plant operations; fundamentals of alternating-current circuits; and electrical safety policies and procedures.
Knowledge of power system operations, WECC, NERC and FERC-mandated industry practices, interchange scheduling, and contract and tariff administration.
Broad knowledge of energy flows, interchange, accounting practices, data analysis, and research techniques.
Understanding of the regulatory process and issues affecting control areas and transmission providers.
Ability to learn forecasting and research techniques, interpret transmission contracts, administer transmission tariffs, and perform data analysis.
Ability to project current system conditions into future projections and take appropriate action.
Ability to apply control-system principles to solve practical problems and handle situations with limited standardization.
Ability to work rotating 12-hour shifts and irregular or long hours as required.
Ability to travel for training, seminars, and industry-related meetings.
Ability to work under high-stress conditions and make critical decisions in a timely manner.
Effective verbal and written communication skills and ability to maintain effective working relationships with officers, managers, fellow employees, and the general public.
Ability to maintain a strong sense of propriety concerning confidential matters.
Pass the NERC Certification exam and obtain NERC System Operator Certification within six months of hire.

Responsibilities

Perform real-time energy scheduling by verifying and coordinating E-Tags and system resource schedules prepared by the company’s marketing department.
Review and approve short-term transmission reservations through OASIS in real time.
Cross-reference E-Tag transmission profiles to OASIS transactions to confirm customer transmission usage agrees with transmission sales terms.
Reconcile and load schedules to the real-time Scheduling System and assist in developing and implementing accounting methods to confirm and record transactions for control-area, contract-compliance, and billing requirements.
Monitor daily interchange, tie-line meters, and inadvertent interchange; check data accuracy and system operating efficiency; and resolve scheduling disputes with utilities and power marketing entities.
Communicate with outside System Controllers, schedulers, and transaction parties to balance schedules.
Ensure compliance with transmission sales contracts and terms; monitor transmission rates and capacities; and post curtailment data on OASIS.
Dispatch and operate EPE generation facilities reliably during normal and emergency conditions, taking appropriate action to return the system to safe and reliable operation during emergencies.
Coordinate and schedule energy resources with the Power Marketing Department and real-time schedulers to meet system load requirements.
Enter energy schedules for committed sales and purchases into EMS.
Track unit commitment and economic dispatch and ensure generators operate under Automatic Generation Control (AGC).
Issue switching orders to bring EPE local generators or Southern New Mexico generators within the EPE Balancing Area online.
Maintain and update the generator outage database and calculate forced outage rates and forecast error.
Monitor generation conditions through alarms, telemetry, status, and modes of operation.
Comply with FERC Standards of Conduct, applicable company policies, procedures and code of ethics, and governmental laws and regulations, including employment, safety, and environmental requirements.
Perform other related tasks within the context of the defined duties.