In a testament to the power of community investment, a recipient of a scholarship from The Lines Company (TLC) has returned to conduct research on TLC’s network that promises to benefit the very customers who helped fund their university education.
Now in her third year towards an electrical engineering degree from Canterbury University, Una Drayton was raised in rural New Zealand, near Ohakune in TLC’s southern network area.
Una Drayton (L) with TLC General Manager Operational Excellence Craig Hackett (C) and TLC Asset Engineer Substations Ash Singh (R) at the 33kV/11kV Waitete Zone Substation
“I was extremely grateful to receive the Inspiring Local Minds Scholarship from TLC,” said Drayton. “Coming back to the area to do research on their network is a great full circle moment.”
Drayton describes herself as “that annoying why-why-how kid,” growing up.
“I always wanted to know how and why things worked. Growing up rural, my dad was always coming up with innovative contraptions to fix things on the farm; and I guess that rubbed off on me.”
Drayton went on to excel at maths, science and physics throughout school and engineering seemed a perfect fit.
“Because electricity is such a huge part of our daily lives, I thought electrical engineering would be a very purposeful career,” continued Drayton.
Enter PSC Consulting – a specialist engineering consultancy, founded in New Zealand 30 years ago. When Drayton heard about PSC’s own scholarship and internship programs, she made contact and was signed on for the December 2024/25 vacation break to do research work. PSC’s New Zealand Operational Technology Manager, Dylan Jenkins, explained that PSC has a long history of collaboration with electricity businesses in New Zealand and investing in university talent.
“TLC was already on a digital improvement journey and were keen to support changing what was a hypothetical, theoretical project into a practical project. We brought all the pieces together – research funding through Callahan Innovation, specialist engineering support from PSC and an electricity network through TLC; while supporting aspiring engineering talent.”
The research project investigates smart meter control for load management. Drayton explains:
“Throughout the day, there are fluctuations in electrical demand. This causes peaks at high demand times, like early morning or after work; peaks that the network must be able to handle. Better utilization of load management through using smart meters means we can flatten the peaks by shifting load to another time of day.”
“Benefits include deferring capacity-related network upgrades, making better use of existing equipment and extending the life of plant. It makes delivery of electricity to customers more efficient and economical,” said Drayton.
“Una ran models or simulations of what smart meter-based load control system would look like on the TLC network. She showed that significant capacity upgrades to the network could be deferred by using effective load control. While the research was conducted on TLC’s network, results can be applied across the industry,” said Jenkins.
Drayton’s passion for engineering isn’t just about the how and the why, but also about building future sustainability.
“The electricity sector plays a huge role in global decarbonization. We must find innovative and environmentally friendly solutions to generate and store more energy as demand grows.”
PSC has long invested in university students, including those with a passion for sustainable power solutions, something that drives their organization.
“Our relationships with universities are very important to us and we have been involved with a number across the globe,” said Jenkins. “It helps us develop a pipeline of talent, often with fresh perspectives, that can join our company and the electricity industry in general.”
TLC’s Chief Executive Mike Fox is immensely proud of the company’s Inspiring Local Minds Scholarship program which was introduced in 2018.
“It is awesome to see one of our scholarship students doing summer vacation work in the electricity sector that could ultimately benefit TLC customers,” said Fox. “TLC takes great pride in our scholarship initiative, helping to nurture the next generation of experts.”
“It’s even more rewarding when this investment makes a difference by benefiting our customers in the future.”
Drayton has found her research feet, made strong sector connections, and is looking forward to her third year back at university.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with experts in their respective fields in PSC and TLC.”
PSC advantage
The energy industry is undergoing a significant transformation, with rapid advancements and changes not seen in decades. This brings both opportunities and challenges, particularly in accessing skilled and capable resources. Intense competition for resources and the rapid pace of change mean that traditional training and development methods struggle to keep up with new technologies, business models, regulatory requirements, and novel techniques. Read more about this in our Skills Shortage White Paper here and contact us to learn more about PSC.