Terrific turbines

Meet Owyn, who works on turbines at Drax Power Station and helps supply up to 15% of the UK's electricity.

What do you do? Tell us about your job:

I manage the turbine engineering team at Drax Power Station, we look after turbines which have the capacity to supply about 10-15% of the UK’s electricity.

I manage a team of 10 engineers who improve our turbines, help make them last a long time and keep them working well.

Recently, we upgraded 3 of the high-pressure turbines – it cost nearly £50 million and saved 45,000 tonnes of fuel a year!

My day is spent speaking to other engineers, working out how best run our projects and helping fix problems, as well as managing my team.  

How did you become an engineer?

I did A levels in maths physics and chemistry before going on to do a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. This led on to becoming a Chartered member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be an engineer?

There are lots of opportunities to get involved in engineering, my interest was sparked by going to work with my dad on a Saturday morning and fixing my bike. Spend time finding out what interests you (trains, cars, planes) and consider getting involved in local groups or clubs - it doesn't feel like work if you enjoy what you are doing.

What do you love about engineering?

Engineering can open so many doors, solving problems and doing huge projects is so rewarding and once you learn to be an engineer you soon find you can apply yourself to any job or problem. The possibilities are endless.