OREANDA-NEWS. A trainee from Southern Electric Power Distribution has been presented with the Power Graduate of the Year award from the National Skills Academy by former international referee Pierluigi Collina.

The award is in recognition of Peter Papasotiriou’s innovative work aimed at improving the reliability of the electricity network in central southern England. He led a project that uses new technology to reduce the duration of a power cut, and also for his work in upgrading the electricity network to make sure it can cope with increasing demand for renewable energy.

Peter began his career with the distribution network operator on a year-long internship in electrical automation before managing a major project on sequence switching automation to improve network reliability and reduce customer supply outages. He then joined a graduate engineering scheme, focused on the investment management of the distribution network to meet growth in renewable energy, and has undertaken electrical system design projects to facilitate network connections for large scale solar farms.

Peter is delighted with the recognition of his talent: “I’m absolutely thrilled to win this award and to have my hard work acknowledged and rewarded at such a prestigious event. These awards are such a big occasion in our industry and to be recognised as the top graduate trainee in the country feels incredible.”

Alan Broadbent, Director of Engineering for Southern Electric Power Distribution, also praised Peter on the achievement: “Peter has made a fantastic contribution to the work we do in looking after and making improvements to the local electricity network, which results in a more reliable service for our customers. He always demonstrates passion and commitment to his work as well his own development and I am very proud of his achievements.”

Southern Electric Power Distribution is committed to investing in new talent to combat industry-wide skills shortages predicted over the next few decades. The company has a range of apprenticeships and training programmes available.