After years in thermal power, Colin Draper embraced the challenge of renewables, helping to embed Stanwell’s core values in every facet of operations at Collinsville Solar Farm. Now, as he heads home to Kingaroy, Colin’s story offers insight into the opportunities for personal and professional growth that come with working in renewable energy.

Colin’s career began far from solar panels and inverters. After finishing high school in 1999, he started as a jackaroo on properties in western Queensland, before transitioning into coal mining.

“I worked on blasting, coal recovery, road maintenance and production supervision,” he recalls. 

Keen to broaden his skill set, Colin pursued an adult electrical apprenticeship at Tarong Power Station, Stanwell’s coal-fired power station in Queensland’s South Burnett region, in 2011. Completing the apprenticeship sparked Colin’s interest in energy generation, showing him the value of quality maintenance, the potential for implementing improvement initiatives, and the opportunity to engage with new and emerging technologies.

“I was fortunate enough to stay on at Tarong as a maintenance electrician,” he says. “I worked across nearly every area of the plant, took on various roles during plant outages, and eventually stepped into the electrical maintenance supervisor role.”

Colin’s hard work and expertise didn’t go unnoticed. In 2023, he was offered a secondment to Collinsville Solar Farm as Transition Superintendent, a temporary role that opened the door to his current position as High Voltage Operations and Assets (HVOA) Superintendent with the Stanwell Asset Maintenance Company (SAMCo), a wholly owned subsidiary of Stanwell that provides operations and maintenance services for renewable energy assets.  

This change also brought Colin and his family all the way to Bowen – over a thousand kilometres away from his home in Kingaroy.

“It was a big move, not just geographically, but in perspective,” Colin admits. “I had always been skeptical of renewable energy, but working at Collinsville showed me how much I didn’t know about the industry. It gave me the opportunity to work on near-new, state-of-the-art equipment and apply my experience with Stanwell’s world-class health and safety team to lift the standards in the renewable space.”

Creating a culture of ownership and pride

Located on the site of a former coal-fired power station, Collinsville Solar Farm represents a modern take on energy generation. Since commencing operations in 2018, it has produced enough electricity annually to power up to 15,000 homes.

“The day-to-day work at a solar farm involves visual inspections and fault identification or rectification,” he explains. “But my focus at Collinsville was on developing site processes, implementing procedures and developing a culture of ownership and pride.”

For Colin, establishing this culture was one of his proudest achievements. “Stanwell’s values of ‘we care, we adapt, we deliver’ have been integral in building the culture at Collinsville and SAMCo as a whole,” he says. “SAMCo’s deliberate focus on employing people who embody these values and want to set a new standard in the renewable industry has been key to creating the culture we have today.”

At Collinsville, that culture is one of ownership and inclusion. “Everyone who works here treats the site as if they own it and takes pride in showing it off,” Colin explains. “From groundskeeping – shoutout to Terry and Frank – to the travelling technicians who go the extra mile during annual inverter maintenance, there’s a shared sense of pride in what we do. It’s evident in every conversation.

“We make sure to recognise everyone’s opinions and experiences, ensuring that all views are considered when making decisions. That doesn’t mean everyone gets exactly what they want, but their input is always taken into account in the final call.”

It’s a culture that has yielded tangible results. “One of the most rewarding moments was when the client visited a few months after we took over and commented on how tidy and professional the site now looks,” Colin recalls.

Other achievements include passing a third-party health, safety and environment audit with flying colours; mastering the site’s SCADA systems; and, on a personal note, landing several fishing ‘PBs’ (personal bests). “Some of my favourites have been Spanish mackerel and coral trout,” he laughs.

As Colin hands over the reins at Collinsville to Ian Nelson, the new permanent site lead, he’s optimistic about the transition. 

“Ian has a great deal of experience in electrical maintenance, and is keen to develop his skills in renewable energy. I’m looking forward to supporting him, developing his HV switching skills, and making sure he looks after the Collinsville mango trees,” Colin adds with a grin.

A new chapter in Kingaroy

Now, back home in Kingaroy, Colin will continue in his role as HVOA Superintendent, overseeing high-voltage operations across SAMCo’s multiple sites.

“I’ll be doing most of my planning and strategising from home and our Tarong Power Station office, then travelling to various SAMCo sites to oversee operations and develop our team’s high-voltage switching skills,” he explains. “I’ll also visit new sites as they come on board to conduct pre-mobilisation electrical auditing and scope development.”

Reflecting on his time at Collinsville, Colin says the experience has taught him invaluable lessons. 

“I’ve been stretched in almost every way – learning fast, thinking outside the box, and relying on an incredible team. It’s been a lesson in resilience and adaptability,” he reflects.

“My experience at Collinsville has given me a new perspective. I’ve come to see where renewables fit into the broader picture, and I wouldn’t have reached this understanding without the conversations and opportunities I’ve had during my time here.” 

Colin says he’s keen to continue applying the skills he developed in thermal generation to renewable sites, as SAMCo plays a key role in the clean energy transformation. “SAMCo is so much more than an O&M provider,” he says. “We’ve been able to use the incredible engineering skills base in Stanwell to contribute to the design of what will be the biggest solar farm in Australia. We’ve also set new safety and productivity standards in the industry through constant innovation, and we’ve created opportunities for people to learn directly from OEMs. And that’s all within just the last six months.”

Looking ahead, Colin sees SAMCo playing a broader role in engineering design, consultation and skill development. For anyone considering starting a career in renewables, Colin offers this advice: “Give SAMCo a go. You’ll work with some of the most dedicated and professional people in the industry, gain exposure to a broad range of generation plants, and have the chance to grow your career in ways you never imagined.

For Colin, the move to Bowen wasn’t just a professional milestone, but an adventure his family will always remember fondly.

“Bowen has been an incredible experience for my family and me,” he says. “They’ve embraced the community, made lifelong friendships, and enjoyed everything the region has to offer, from snorkeling to spotting crocodiles and whales. We’ll miss the community, the fishing and the friendships, but we’re excited to return home.”

As Colin moves into the next phase of his career, his legacy at Collinsville Solar Farm will undoubtedly continue to inspire the team he leaves behind.