My career in the power industry allows me to dive into technical detail while contributing to an energy future that is beneficial to all customers.
Who am I
I'm Cassandra Ellis, Undergraduate Engineer at SA Power Networks. I have just started my final 12 months of Uni with graduation planned for mid 2026.
Starting at SA Power Networks in customer service I was able to see first hand the importance of an affordable and reliable energy network. I keep this knowledge at the heart of everything I do to ensure that the energy transition is equitable and sustainable for generations to come.
Outside of work I can be found working on one of my many crochet projects I currently have on the go.
Why I chose a career in power
I happened to get a job as a Customer Service agent at SA Power Networks, where I was working on the front line in the call centre, supporting customers with queries ranging from electrical bill questions, to new build housing connections through to solar application queries. Around this time I was fortunate to get exposure to SA Power Networks Flexible Exports program.
Through seeing the wide range of enquiries coming through, and listening to the work on Flexible Exports I saw the vast possibilities of the industry and a career path that would be rewarding and challenging. From the day I decided to return to Uni to study I have not looked back on that decision, there are more possibilities in this industry than I thought, and there has not been a moment where I didn’t find my work challenging and rewarding.
Where it all started
I am studying the Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering with a major in Advanced Electrical Engineering. In November 2022, I was fortunate to gain a position in the SA Power Networks 12 week vacation program. I was placed within Low Voltage Planning where I remained as an undergraduate engineer until recently. I learned how to undertake power quality assessments, as well as how to use PowerBI to create meaningful visuals of very large data sets.
I was fortunate to be able to undertake a summer placement with ElectraNet, as part of my API Scholarship, over the 2024-25 summer period where I worked within their Substation Delivery team. This provided an opportunity to learn about the role the transmission network plays in the energy transition and further my technical understanding of the power system.
My work experience.
What's next?
I have recently started in the Strategic Network Investment team within SA Power Networks, where I get to work on non-traditional solutions that help achieve a reliable and resilient network. This role is a great opportunity to be able to contribute to the future of the network, on projects such as SA Power Networks Community Batteries program that have the potential to improve the operation of the network and provide benefits to the local communities.