Lewis is responsible for operating and maintaining Saltholme North Power, Saltholme South Power and Creyke Beck Power gas peaking stations. Located in the north of England, they have a combined 150 MW capacity and provide power to approximately 330,000 homes. The plants support short-term wholesale electricity trades and provide frequency response services to the National Grid. Engines at each site can be fired up within a minute and reach full capacity in five to ten minutes, providing essential power at peak times.
A qualified marine engineer, Lewis coordinates and schedules planned and corrective engine and plant maintenance across all three sites. He divides his time between each location but is mainly based at Saltholme North, where he can monitor on-site performance as well as operations at Saltholme South and Creyke Beck from a central control room.
“I’ve worked here for four years and might actually have been the very first hire,” he tells us. “I’m assisted by our other engine specialists, and we can draw on support from the wider team, who provide specialist electronic skills when needed. We also have an apprentice who works one day a week. This is part of our strategy to keep all O&M work in-house—not just at these plants, but across the entire business.”
Saltholme Power Station
Lewis continues: “We don’t use contractors. It’s more efficient, but it also means we keep control of the processes, procedures and site safety standards we’ve worked so hard to develop and maintain. That said, there’s plenty of close cooperation with our engine manufacturers, and I tend to manage that side of things, too.”
Lewis admits there’s no such thing as a typical day. It’s one of the things he loves about his job: “First, I have a coffee. We’ll run our daily checks once the engines come online—looking for hydrocarbon leaks, that kind of thing. Then we start working through that day’s schedule, some of which we’ll have pencilled in from the day before. There’s always something to do. I love finding ways to improve plant efficiency—making things easier for everyone.”
“But on other days, if an engine trips, it can be quite a reactive job. For example, I came in this morning expecting to do some planned maintenance, but I ended up repairing two engines—so I’m still very much rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty. On days like this, we work quickly to diagnose the problem, fix the issue, reset the engines and get them back online—no fuss, no drama, just work logically through the process.”
That no-nonsense approach stems from Lewis’ military background. Upon completing his Royal Navy service, he wanted a new challenge that took full advantage of his marine engineering skills. At first glance, a career in power generation might not seem like the most obvious choice. But our gas peaking plant engines and most of the systems are based on marine technology.
“I came for my interview on site all those years ago and thought the pipes and the systems that connect the engines were literally the heart and body of a ship. It was home from home,” Lewis recalls. “It was a fantastic opportunity. Returning to civilian life is not always easy, but I grabbed this chance with both hands and never looked back.”
He concludes: “I love my job because I genuinely adore engines and engineering. It’s a real passion. I have a motorbike and a classic mini, and I love tinkering with them as much as I love riding or driving them. I also really appreciate the opportunity to keep learning. I’ve had extensive factory training in Germany from the engine manufacturer—I was there for around a month. And I’m going to another engine manufacturer facility in Austria this year for a deep dive on their green dual-fuel engines.”
