Mike Tacon has worn many hats through his six-year career at the ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm – from overseeing storage supplies, working with helicopters in the operations and maintenance team to now serving as a wind farm controller.
“I love it,” said Mike. “No two days are ever the same.”
This is particularly true in the crucial role of a wind farm controller. In a typical four-day on, four-day off shift pattern, Mike will alternate between two key functions that keep ScottishPower’s flagship wind farm operational.
On the first two days of a shift, serving as marine coordinator, Mike oversees the logistics of the boats, loading of passengers and cargo, regulations, marine traffic and emergency responses.
The job then focuses on the high voltage electrical controls, the transfer of the wind farm’s clean green energy and production.
Mike has grown with the company, from working in the storage warehouse to now serving in the nerve centre of the wind farm – all thanks to support from the business and his desire to embrace new experiences and gain new qualifications.
He noted that “the freedom to develop, choose and train is something that’s really special about working for SPR”.
While Mike has been a part of the East Anglia ONE team since the beginning of its local operations, he is still surprised by how much people don’t know about the industry.
There is an abundance of opportunities, investment and development within the region, and as a bonus, Mike noted, “it’s literally a stone’s throw away from where I grew up… in my hometown”.
It’s not all about what happens at work either; the unique shift pattern of a wind farm controller brings other benefits too.
Mike admitted: “I love my team and coming to work… but I only work half the year due to our shift rotations, so it’s a great work-life balance! And these are things that people don’t necessarily know about the possibilities that are out there in our local jobs.”
At the end of the day, Mike considers himself very lucky.
“For people coming through in the area, offshore wind is such a good opportunity, and you get the chance to work with great companies like SPR. I can’t recommend it enough.”.
For more information, visit spreastanglia.com
This story is also published in Insight Energy magazine, covering the latest news from the UK's energy sector. Read the latest edition here.
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