Asset Evaluation Engineer/Analyst

SCS Resource Planning supports both the regulatory activities of the retail operating companies (Alabama Power Company, Georgia Power Company, and Mississippi Power Company) and the strategic planning activities of Southern Company through modeling, analysis, and economic evaluations to help inform business decisions related to power generation resources. Resource Planning consists of the following functions: Asset Evaluations, Energy Budget, Forecasting & Model Development, Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Development, and Reliability, Resiliency & RFPs.  Resource Planning collaborates with many other System Planning and Southern Company organizations such as Generation Development, Transmission Planning, Research, Environment & Sustainability, Fuels, and Operations.

The Asset Evaluation team within Resource Planning is integral to the development of the Company’s generation and regulatory strategy. The team provides cost/benefit and business case analysis to inform executive decisions for each retail Operating Company. The team specifically provides economic evaluations and system planning support for major regulatory requests, including but not limited to, Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) filings, supply-side certifications, unit retirements or extensions, resource upgrades, asset acquisitions, evaluation of new renewable and storage opportunities, and other major investment decisions.

This position works closely with numerous organizations and all levels of the SCS and Retail Operating Company operations and planning organizations. Therefore, the successful candidate must be able to effectively communicate complex concepts clearly and concisely with diverse audiences. 

Position Qualifications (Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills)

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Engineering, or an equivalent analytical field is required
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: financial analysis or planning, economic evaluations, generation plant operations
• Knowledge of power plant operations, power pool operations, utility finance (including revenue requirements and cash flow analysis), generation economic evaluation, engineering economics desired
• Proven analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex topics verbally and in written form
• Proficiency with standard analytical and business software such as Microsoft Office applications is required; experience with VBA, Power BI, and production cost models is preferred
• Knowledge of integrated resource planning, utility finance (including revenue requirements and cash flow analysis), engineering economics, life cycle cost analysis, avoided and marginal cost concepts, economic dispatch, production cost modeling, generation and transmission planning processes, generation technologies and operation, risk analysis, utility regulatory accounting, and utility financial analysis techniques is a plus 

Position Responsibilities

• Perform financial and risk analysis of major capital expenditure options in support of SCS and OpCo executive decision making. This includes cost-effectiveness studies, least-cost compliance studies, alternative technology cost-benefit studies, asset retirement or extension studies, and other cost reducing/risk mitigating strategies
• Development of economic analysis in support of a cost-effective and reliable fleet transition. Economic analysis includes, but is not limited to, assessments of renewable resource technologies, energy storage technologies, existing asset optimization and retirement strategies, transmission system implications, fuel conversions, and new carbon-free resource needs that meet evolving business & customer requirements
• Work on cross functional teams in collaboration with System Planning, Transmission Planning, Research and Environmental Affairs, Fuels, Finance, and Operations (through both SCS and each Operating Company).
• Support OpCo IRP, rate cases, certifications, and other regulatory filing requests as they pertain to major supply-side decision making 
• Maintain and optimize analytical tools as needed to perform and/or improve work products and efficiency 

Behavioral Attributes

• Exhibit Our Values of safety first, unquestionable trust, superior performance, and total commitment at all times
• Customer focused
• Possess a strong work ethic and personal accountability 
• Must be a self-starter with the ability to prioritize work and maintain a positive attitude in a challenging and dynamic environment
• The ability to work effectively in a team setting