Ballylumford Power Station is a combined-cycle power plant that consists of a combination of gas and steam turbines that are powered by natural and distillate gas.  In addition, there are 2 small open-cycle gas turbines.  The plant has the capacity to generate up to 713 megawatts.   

Kilroot Power Station has an installed capacity of 740 megawatts.  The station contains 2 large open-cycle gas turbines and 4 small open-cycle gas turbines.  The large open cycle turbines were commissioned in 2024 and are the latest addition to the EPUK Investments fleet.    EP Ballylumford and EP Kilroot are key to supporting electric supply to Northern Ireland and across the Island of Ireland.

The Opportunity

EPUKI are looking for three new apprentices to join our Operations and Maintenance teams based at EP Ballylumford Ltd and EP Kilroot Ltd power stations in Mid & East Antrim.  The newly launched apprenticeship scheme, run in conjunction with NRC (Northern Regional College), Belfast is aimed at finding the next generation of Engineering and Maintenance Technicians. 

The scheme will typically run for 36 months and allows students to earn a salary whilst studying for their Apprenticeships.  2 apprentices will be appointed and study the Level 3 course and a further apprentice will be appointed and study the Level 5 course. Training will be undertaken at both EP Ballylumford and EP Kilroot with day release for further study spent 1 day a week at NRC (Northern Regional College).

What does an Operations & Maintenance Apprentice actually do? 

Day to day you will be:- 

Learning to perform maintenance of the site to achieve a high level of Health, Safety and Environmental performance, production performance and asset security to deliver agreed power generation production plans in line with customer requirements, safely and cost effectively. Developing skills in planning work, with risk assessments, methods statements and contract management.

Working within the engineering and maintenance team to support the delivery of the required levels of reliability, availability and flexibility of business targets whilst complying with statutory, regulatory, and Company policies, guidelines and standards, and industry best practice. Demonstrable through the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Learning to operate, maintain and inspect equipment to meet legislative requirements, (e.g. PAT testing; lifts; lifting equipment; cranes, DSEAR) 

Working with the Engineering Team to effectively plan and deliver outages to time, quality and budget.

Establishing and maintaining effective communication networks within own and wider team, ensuring business objectives and activities are understood and best practice is shared, through participation in toolbox talks and site meetings.

Supporting the Production team with the operational activities of a gas fired power plant comprising a complex and diverse range of equipment operating 24/7/365 regime.

The demand for electricity is increasing, and while the energy industry is changing, the demand for talented people to take over in the future hasn't. A career in energy is a career with purpose, one that you can be proud of and one that has a critical impact to every person’s life.