Interview Benjamin Marcel

Today we’re meeting Benjamin Marcel, who has been an intern at RTE international Netherlands for 3 months!

Can you briefly describe your experience as an intern with our company?

From a professional point of view, this 3-month internship has enabled me to develop more in-depth skills and knowledge of an electricity transmission network. I was already familiar with the workings of a transmission network thanks to my two years of work experience at RTE, but this experience gave me a very interesting international perspective on the management of electricity transmission networks.

From a cultural point of view, this placement was also very enriching, as I was able to go and live abroad, in the Netherlands, and experience a new culture.

What were your initial expectations when you joined our team as an intern, and to what extent were they met?

My aim was to learn new things about high-voltage electricity transmission. During this internship I was really able to acquire new skills that will be useful in my future professional life and add to my general knowledge. I also wanted to experience life abroad by going to live in another country to discover a new way of life. I was able to experience this with the Dutch, who are so welcoming!

Did you have the opportunity to work on any specific projects that stood out for you during your internship?

I was able to get involved in several projects that made sense to me – you really know why you’re doing them!

In particular, I worked on the modelling of certain parts of the electricity network in The Netherlands with the electromagnetic transient study software (EMTP). it was about quantifying the power surges that can occur on the network in order to determine the safety distances between the live electric conductors and the operators working on these sites. These projects make it possible to optimise structures by keeping them in service while carrying out work on them and ensuring the safety of operators.

Have you enjoyed working here? Would you recommend working with us to your family or friends?

Very satisfied to have been able to contribute in my own way to some important projects. I’ve appreciated the flexibility of RTEi, which doesn’t impose a rigid framework either in terms of working hours or project management. It was really this freedom in the way things were done that I appreciated most and that enabled me to participate fully in the various projects. I’d recommend RTEi to anyone I know!

Were there any people (mentors, colleagues) who were there to guide and help you during this experience?

Of course, I had plenty of support and guidance during the course.

First of all, I’d like to thank Raphaël Galisson, who was in the Netherlands and helped me find my feet. I’d also like to thank Viktor Rudan from the EPE team, who helped me a lot with the core projects and, in particular, guided me through the studies in a field I knew little about.

How has this placement prepared you for your future career goals, particularly in the energy sector?

It’s a very good complement to the work-study placement I’m doing at RTE in Lyon because I was able to see how you could optimise the use of a network as much as possible by carrying out work under voltage. With the massive development of renewable energy sources that are going to be connected to the electricity transmission networks, the latter are going to have to perform very well indeed. EMT studies are one of the most efficient ways to meet this need.

So these are very topical projects, with a lot at stake which could be useful to me in the short term but also in my future career.

Is there anything else you’d like to add about your experience as a trainee with our company?

I enjoyed working on the projects, I appreciated the trust I was given and the freedom I was given. I’ll come away from this placement having learnt lots of new things about electricity transmission networks.