Meet The Team: Jared Deeney
We’re shining the spotlight on team members working to help power change on Shetland. This month we caught up with Assistant Project Manager Jared Deeney to find out more about his role and how he helps to deliver a network for net zero.
How long have you worked in SSEN Transmission? Six months with SSEN Transmission and 13.5 years with SSEN Distribution.
How did you get started in your career – what did you do before joining SSEN Transmission? I started working for SSEN Distribution in 2007 as a trainee LV jointer/linesman. I went through training and then onto college in Inverness to do a modern apprenticeship. I did eight years on the tools, carrying out new connections work, maintenance/inspections and fault/storm work as a craftsman and HV switcher. In 2014 I became a Senior Authorised Person (SAP) and in 2015 I was promoted to New Connection Manager for Shetland. I spent six years planning and delivering projects (involved in design then planning, organising, outage planning and carrying out outages) all over Shetland on the Low Voltage Network, 11KV Network and 33kV Network. Also carrying out standby duties.
What inspired you to join SSEN Transmission? The project in Shetland is something that has never been experienced here in Shetland before. This is a fantastic time for SSE and a huge opportunity to learn new skills, get involved, gain new experiences and see the project being built from the ground up.
What qualifications do you need for your role? LV, HV Switching and SAP Authorisations, City and Guilds but most importantly, experience. I’m also currently learning new HVDC Authorisations and will be starting Project Management courses shortly.
Talk us through a brief typical day in your job: Generally my day consists of working with the Project team, meetings via Microsoft Teams and visiting Kergord site. Engaging with contractors is a big part of my job too. As things return to a bit more normality, I’m looking forward to more travelling for work. I’ll likely be making regular visits to Sweden, Austria and Germany which is very exciting for quality assurance purposes to witness Factory Acceptance Tests on key equipment.
What is the best part of your role? I was very lucky to have the opportunity to travel to Sweden to see the convertor transformers and valves being made in the factories. That was amazing to see - I’m really grateful for the experience. That’s a definite highlight for me so far.
What is your proudest achievement so far at SSEN Transmission? I think I’ve achieved a fair amount in my short time here, but looking forward, the completion of Kergord will be a huge achievement for SSEN Transmission and I’m proud to be a part of that.
How do you help power change? The Shetland HVDC link is providing not only a conduit for delivering renewable energy to the UK grid but also providing power for Shetland’s everyday needs. Therefore, greatly reducing the dependence on Diesel Generation. By working on this project, I feel I/we are helping to make this change happen.
Jared is part of a team of people working on a series of projects across Shetland, including the Shetland HVDC link, which, once complete, will allow for the export of renewable energy generation from Shetland to the UK mainland, connecting Shetland to the Nation’s Electricity Transmission System for the first time. Learn more on our Shetland Project Page.