Engineering Transmission Distribution interview prep.

Behavioural questions to expect

1. Walk me through your background + T&D engineering experience.
2. Tell me about a transmission or distribution project you've led.
3. Why T&D engineering vs other power-systems paths (generation, grid ops, protection R&D)?
4. Why this discipline - transmission planning, substation, line, protection + control, distribution planning?
5. Why the firm?
6. What's your read on our T&D capital plan + recent rate case or IRP?
7. Tell me what you understand about our NERC compliance + reliability posture.
8. Walk me through a transmission planning or interconnection study you've done.

Technical concepts to master

• Transmission planning + interconnection studies

  Power-flow + N-1 contingency analysis · Short-circuit + fault duty · Transient + voltage stability · LGIA + Cluster Study (FERC Order 2023) · Long-term planning horizon + scenario analysis

• Substation + transmission line design

  Bus configurations · BIL + insulation coordination · NESC clearances + structural loading · Sag-tension + dynamic line rating · Substation grounding + step / touch

• Protection + control coordination

  Distance (impedance) protection · Differential protection · Overcurrent + coordination · Breaker-failure + redundancy · Special Protection Schemes / RAS

• Distribution planning + DER hosting + reliability

  Load forecasting + feeder loading · DER hosting capacity · Reliability indices + drivers · Storm hardening + undergrounding · FLISR + grid automation

Practical drills

• A 500 MW solar farm requests interconnection at a 230 kV substation 40 miles from your load centre. The local 230 kV system is rated 1,400 MW thermal. Walk through your interconnection study + mitigation plan.
• A new 138 kV line ties into an existing substation. Walk through your protection design + coordination approach + commissioning.
• A 12.47 kV feeder has SAIDI 180 min (vs system 110) + growing rooftop solar approaching 30% of feeder peak. Walk through your reliability + DER plan for this feeder.

Smart-question anchors

• T&D capital plan + IRP - signature programmes, grid mod, undergrounding
• Reliability indices + drivers - SAIDI / SAIFI / MAIFI trend + storm hardening
• NERC compliance - TPL / FAC / PRC audit posture + Regional Entity
• Interconnection queue + DER hosting - process + recent volumes
• Engineering org + tool stack - PSS/E / CYME / ASPEN / Synergi + planning / substation / line / P&C groups

Sourced from

NERC Reliability Standards (TPL / FAC / PRC / EOP / CIP) · IEEE Power & Energy Society standards (IEEE 1547, 1366, 80, 738, C57, C37 series) · IEEE / NESC C2 National Electrical Safety Code · FERC Order 2023 + LGIA / SGIA interconnection procedures · T&D World + Utility Dive + EPRI technical reports