Power Engineer's Day - Last Sunday of December

14.12.2018

With positive energy under high pressure

The power engineers of Bogatyr Coal LLP meet their professional holiday

Power Engineer's Day at Bogatyr Coal LLP is one more professional holiday at Bogatyr Coal LLP. It is difficult to overestimate the labor of over four hundred people working in Chief Power Engineer Service - operations will stop without power and heat power. About 80% of the coal mining and auxiliary equipment of the company works from voltage supplied by power engineers, and Bogatyr energy utilities count over 500 km of electric power lines and about 20 km of heat power lines. Around-the-clock eight power supply sections perform colossal work for the provision of continuous coal mining in the mines and for creation of comfortable and safe conditions at work places.

One more important direction of Chief Power Engineer Service is the increase of energy efficiency. This year Bogatyr Coal LLP has ranked among the leaders in the area of energy saving amongst Kazakhstani enterprises. Thanks to the efficient use of heat and electric power and water supply the company managed to save about 500 mm tenge last year. This year the work on conclusion of the energy service contract on replacement of about 1,600 lamps with LED-lamps continued. By Chief Power Engineer of the enterprise Nurlybek Zhumatayev, it will also allow saving electric power and funds significantly.       

In the energy heart of the company

The energy heart of the enterprise is the traction and distribution station - TRP-12. The fact it is a strategic object is confirmed by the high fence with a barbwire and big lock on the gates. There with the help of transformers the tension of electric power is reduced down to needed parameters and distributed by 28 lines to production sections. One needs to say, the tension is not little. The lowest voltage is 400 Volts (in domestic sockets for comparison - 220 - author's note), maximal - 110 kiloVolts.

Inside the building of the substation reminds a library with a lot of cabinet units equipped with lamps-indicators of the red and green light, and all possible switches and buttons. With the help of this equipment the workers of TRP-12 watch the electricity reaches enterprise objects without failing, and if any they eliminate them timely. Electrician on Substation Maintenance of the fifth grade Galina Leznova is one of several substation observers. She has been working under high voltage for 17 years. For her noble labor her picture decorated the company Board of Honor twice. Galina was awarded with a Labor Glory award of the 3-rd grade. Voltage, - she says, - is heard and felt. And it is true - wires "sing" their electric song, and high-voltage equipment generates invisible energy felt literally by each cell of your body.     

Such a tense working atmosphere is dissipated by the improvised botanic orchard laid out in the building of TRP-2. There one can see very many varieties of plants with fanciful names. In addition to their relaxation function they also clean and fresh the ambient air very well.

At the substation there is a laboratory for high-voltage tests of protection means for electricians and equipment, such as rubber gloves, belts, high and low voltage alarms.

Mechanic Vladimir Vyrodov watches the work of the substation work, repair and inspection of equipment. He is in charge of watching job safety rules at work places. At the job order meetings he reminds his colleagues to be careful working with electricity because they need to come home alive. Vladimir Ilyich is waited home by a big family: his wife, two daughters, two sons and eight grandchildren. In addition to it, thirty pigeons and aquarial fish. That is why, self-discipline for him has a first priority.

 

To work in the team and be afraid of electricity

Serik Zhabagin, Electrician of Electric Equipment Adjustment Section of Chief Power Engineer Service characterizes himself in joke as a big fan of travelling.

Prior to his employment in Bogatyr Coal LLO he lived and worked in the Eastern Kazakhstan at the copper and nickel deposit called Yuzhny Maksut (not far from Semipalatinsk. After that he was employed in Taraz Kurylys Invest construction company in Taraz. After that - to Chiderty crushed rock plant. Having graduated from the Faculty of Energetics of Pavlodar University he devoted his whole labor activity to work with electricity having passed the way from an electrician to chief power engineer.

At the coal mining enterprise he tests various equipment to evaluate whether it functions properly as protection of people's lives is a first priority of every person. It is a big responsibility for both other people's lives and own life, - Serik Kaitarovich says.

We are boiler firemen but not carpenters

The sections of the heat power and water supply of Bogatyrskaya and Yuzhnaya stations are small heat power plants and a water channel of the coal company in one. Thanks to their work it is warm and there is always portable water in the production and administrative buildings.

What is surprising enough that mainly women work there. Out of 85 people maintaining the boiler shop in Yuzhnaya station 55 are women. One of them is an operator-firewoman of the boilership Olga Tokareva. She has been working in this position for 24 years already. She came to work there after working as a teacher in a village school. And despite the diametrically opposite work conditions she decided to stay here.

"The duties of a firewoman are to watch how coal is fed, watch a water level, pressure, pumps, and boiler shops. During the summer period of time we clean a system of heat power and water supply, its preparation to a new heating season, - Olga says. This real woman-heroine is not afraid of any difficulties - she managed to be able to work with a boiler shop, the temperature of coal burning in which is about several thousands of degrees and bring up five (!) children, who managed to achieve their success in life.

To be wary, like in sport…

The family of Sattarov is known for many employees of the enterprise. They are known as experienced, purposeful and reliable workers and also as famous sportsmen-fighters.

Nariman Sattarov is an energy dispatcher of the operative and dispatching department of Chief Power Engineer Service. His work reminds me sport battles where the main competitor is time. The result depends on efficiency. All power cuts at the enterprise go through a dispatcher - not depending on whether they are planned or emergency situations. That is why, he should always be wary.

His faithful assistant is a visual information board - a special wall journal with a schedule of electricity supply to this or that coal mining machinery. It reflects the whole work of an energy dispatcher for a forthcoming shift. Certainly, there happen problematic, unplanned moments. However, being a literate shift chief able to make a correct decision quickly as a very experienced fighter Nariman always secures a victory.

Movement is life 

The main link between the company and power, heat power and ware transmitting organizations is the Accounting and Contractual Department of Chief Power Engineer Service. It is headed by the young and perspective chief awarded with Miner's Glory award of the 3-rd grade Zaki Zhumabekov. He started his activity at the enterprise from the position of an excavator operator assistant having reached his current position. In addition to his main duties Zaki is also busy with party work being Deputy Chairman of Nur Otan Initial Party Organization of the enterprise. One should note that 70% of the employees of Chief Power Engineer Service are Nur Otan party members. Zaki is a great organizer. Under his direct participation the power engineers of the company hold sport events. For the young guy with a vital spark and a lot of ideas to live means to move and make decisions.

There are a lot of such people in Chief Power Engineer Service. All of them work as a big well-coordinated collective for the benefit of the company with the full commitment and positive energy even being under high voltage.

 

Marina PONKRATOVA

Photo of the Press-Service of Bogatyr Coal LLP