Starting his Stanwell journey fresh out of university, Stanwell Power Station’s Mechanical Plant Engineer, Mitchell Horn, truly has had a taste of everything Stanwell.
From his time as a Graduate Engineer at Tarong power stations, to working on the development of the asset management framework in Brisbane, his trip up the east coast took a quick detour out west to Mica Creek Power Station in Mount Isa, before he finally landed at Stanwell Power Station (SPS).
Mitch reflects on his latest adventure – stepping into the shoes of a Superintendent.
“I started with Stanwell as a Graduate Engineer straight out of university,” he said.
“My first placement, which was for 14 months, was at Tarong power stations.
“During this time I assisted with outage work and the cold storage project of two units there.”
From Tarong, Mitch then took an opportunity to work in Brisbane with Stanwell’s corporate engineering team to assist in developing an asset management framework.
“After Brisbane, I then went to Mount Isa for five months for the C station overhaul planning and implementation at Mica Creek Power Station.
“In 2014, I arrived at SPS, where shortly after I started as the Acting Air and Gas Engineer in the boiler team.”
During his time at SPS, Mitch performed a number of engineering roles during outage time, all of which prepped him to step into the role of Mechanical Engineering Superintendent earlier this year.
“I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the other areas of the plant and the challenges faced by the engineers within those areas,” he said.
“It is really great seeing how other engineers approach a problem at SPS, I’ve noticed it’s very much with a solutions-focused attitude.”
Mitch took his acting role as opportunity to not only better himself as an engineer, but also as a leader.
“An effective leader will engage their team through good communication and their ability to listen, they’ll take on board what their team members have to say,” he said.
“This role has allowed me to see the strengths of other engineers across the business, and I’ve been able to harness this to help improve my own skill set.”