Hi, I’m Daniel, from the sunny isles of Malta. I moved to Denmark in 2018 to study at DTU, where I did a master’s in Sustainable Energy. The programme taught me everything from wind turbine aerodynamics to the economics of energy, and that is how, in 2021, I found myself moving to Aarhus to work in energy trading as a Production Analyst. My first job was a great experience and I learnt so much about how the electricity market worked, and how wind and solar energy farms operated and performed. But something was missing; I felt I was too far from the action.
And that is why in 2022 I joined New Power Partners as part of the Graduate Programme. On my first day, we celebrated the 100th employee (alas not me), and on my second day, we had our Christmas party. My programme started with a whirlwind of activity, and it just kept going from there. From screening sites for potential Power-to-X projects in Denmark to early-stage development of offshore wind farms in Australia, to port studies in South Korea and finally to managing scour engineering design and cable installation for an offshore wind project in Taiwan. Whereas most of that I did from the cosy comfort of our Aarhus office, the reality of construction meant that when it came to that project in Taiwan, New Power Partners packed me up and shipped me off to Taipei for four months.
Taiwan was a fantastic experience and an incredible opportunity to work on an offshore wind farm project under construction. I gained immensely valuable insight, supercharged my professional development, and worked with amazing and experienced people, all whilst having a solid impact on the project. Finally, I was close to the action. And it felt amazing, albeit in retrospect. The exposure was great, but so too was the responsibility. I was not a Graduate in the project’s Taipei office, I was a Deputy Installation Manager, with actual processes to manage, consultancies and contractors to interface with, and decisions to make. I returned from Taiwan having grown faster than at any point in my career, developing new areas of technical expertise and launching me into the world of project management.
Being a part of New Power Partners is an experience in itself. I feel appreciated and trusted to handle responsibility. There is faith in my ability to perform and deliver. But at the same time, there is support and guidance if you need it, and a commitment to your continuous development. Part of this comes from the Graduate Unity, where all graduates, past and present, can lean on each other, share experiences and advice, and grow together. But most importantly also have fun. Games, dinners, and parties make the Unity feel more like a social club than a professional support group, and there are close friends to be found there. This is a reflection of the wider culture at New Power Partners, where the atmosphere is vibrant and friendly, and strong bonds are built through regular social and team-building events.
The New Power Partners Graduate Programme has left an incredible impression on my career; accelerating my professional development and exposing me to experiences where I could have a real, tangible impact on the energy transition.