Former Biloela State High School student and QUT engineering graduate Steve Schluter put his studies into practice at CS Energy’s $11.8 million major overhaul of Wivenhoe Power Station recently.
Steve is the envy of many young engineers as he has already worked with two types of electricity generation – coal-fired and pumped storage hydro.
He cut his teeth at CS Energy’s Callide Power Station as an undergraduate before returning to the company this year as part of its graduate program based in Brisbane.
For his first ‘site rotation’ at one of CS Energy’s power stations, Steve worked at Wivenhoe from April to June during its major overhaul.
Above: Steve at Splityard Creek Dam, which is the upper reservoir for Wivenhoe Power Station.
CS Energy’s Graduate Program aims to “bridge the gap” between university and working life for graduates. As one of three graduate mechanical engineers in the program, Steve is relishing the opportunity of learning from industry veterans with decades of knowledge.
“I’m really enjoying working alongside the more experienced engineers,” Steve said. “Their willingness to share their knowledge is helping me get a running start in the industry.
“One of the other great parts of the job is the opportunity to work with such a broad range of mechanical equipment.
“At Wivenhoe, I supported the overhaul and saw some of Australia’s largest hydroelectric generating units up close. I learnt a lot about materials and different forms of corrosion, and how to prolong the life of piping and other assets.”
Steve graduated from Biloela State High School in 2011 and moved down south to study engineering at QUT in 2012.
“I did a work placement unit from my engineering degree at the Callide Power Station in 2014 and 2015. I came back once I’d completed my studies to finish off the work I'd started on site, and the work just rolled on from there.
“I applied for the graduate program because it offers the opportunity to rotate around all of CS Energy’s power stations.”
Steve has now returned to CS Energy’s Brisbane Office for his current rotation with the corporate engineering team. His fellow graduate engineers Andrew Bazeley and Mahali Heffner (pictured below with Steve) are doing their current rotations at Wivenhoe Power Station and Callide Power Station respectively.