I arrived in Perth on 5 January 2001, full of excitement and enthusiasm for my Industrial Attachment (IA).  I felt extremely honored to be selected by Western Power Corporation (WPC) for my six months of industrial training.

Western Power Corporation is a vertically integrated electricity utility based in the state of Western Australia.  It operates a power system with a peak load of 2508MW with over 6000km of transmission lines operating at voltages up to 330kV.

During my IA, I worked on specialised electrical engineering activities in the Networks Business Unit, Networks Development Branch of WPC.  My supervisor was Mr Ross Dillon, Manager of the Networks Development.  The Networks Development Branch is primarily accountable for power system studies, load forecasts, development of coordinated plans and budget for future expansion of WPC's transmission and distribution system.  My colleagues were all very friendly and helpful people from all over the world, such as, Australia, Poland, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia.  There is no doubt that this department is a great place to work in as it allowed me to interact with people from different culture and expertise.

I was responsible for several challenging projects such as Fault analysis, Earthwire Fault Current Calculations and Harmonic Studies.  The success of these projects were achieved through the use of various software: PSS/E, SuperHarm, MathCad and Microsoft Office.  It was most fulfilling and challenging to acquire new skills and knowledge, and to have hands-on experience on these various projects.

Apart from working in the Head Office in Wellington Street of Perth City, Steven, a fellow IA student and I also organised several field trips.  These include visiting East Perth Control Power Station and a memorable five hour drive to WPC's largest Wind Farm in Albany.

In my spare time, I would go fishing and golfing with Steven.  We caught many fishes in Mandurah for our dinner!  We also enjoyed going to Fremantle during the weekends for shopping and meals.  The fish 'n' chips is excellent there and Fremantle Market is a great attraction.  For grocery shopping, we went to Station Street Market in Subiaco and Canning Vale Market.  The food is fresh and prices are reasonable.  Being independent was a great experience as I learnt to cook my own meals and even grew to enjoy it.  After six months in the kitchen, I am now able to cook a few specialties for my family and friends.  I don't know if they appreciated my effort though. J !

Undergoing IA in Perth was indeed a once in a lifetime experience for me.  Not only was it successful in helping me gain work experience in the power industry, it also gave me a deeper insight to life as well as Power Engineering.  With the knowledge, practical skills and experience acquired at WPC, I now have the extra confidence and maturity to pursue my final EEE year.

I am extremely grateful to NTU and WPC for this opportunity.  This IA experience has been most fruitful and memorable.  I truly cherish the six months spent in Perth and have no hesitation in recommending Overseas IA to future IA students.