Amanda Shepard has to be concerned with worst-case scenarios. “We're trained to deal with whatever may come, said the operations shift manager. “We may be here to generate electricity, but at the end of the day, we have to protect the public at the same time. The public's health and safety are always No. 1.”
Shepard is one of the most senior license holders in Oconee Nuclear Station’s operations department. She’s one of five shift managers responsible for a team of more than 20 operators. During her shift, she has authority over plant operations decision making.
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Armed with an electrical engineering degree from Clemson University, Shepard started with Duke Energy as an intern in 2008. She transferred to operations in 2014, where she worked as an auxiliary operator. She earned her senior reactor operator’s license in 2018 after 18 months of training and passing the exam given by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Shepard has to be an early riser. She gets to work at around 5 a.m., but since she lives 40 minutes from Oconee, her alarm goes off at 2:45 a.m.
Since Oconee is one of just a handful of three-unit sites in the country, she reviews all three units, including “any equipment issues, performance issues or other items that need addressed.”
Every day, there are two shift briefings – one in the morning and one at night. Those help get the team aligned for the day. On day shift, Shepard leads a 7:30 a.m. site direction meeting to review safety items, the operating status of each unit, and the day’s work activities and schedules.
Besides all the opportunities for growth her job has afforded her, she most appreciates the people she works with. “A lot of people in our organization came from the Navy,” she said. “They have a different perspective from my own engineering background. They worked on nuclear submarines. We have engineers in the organization, as well. You learn a little bit from everybody. It’s a good mix.”
She also appreciates that her chosen industry is filled with nice people.
“In most industries, there’s competition,” she said. “If you work for a car company, there are things you wouldn’t share with someone at another car company. But the nuclear industry is built on sharing operating experience – both good and bad, lessons learned and wins. When nuclear staff from other companies visit us, they’ll observe and take potential improvement items back to their plants.”
If one nuclear plant has an issue, it may affect the whole industry. “In the interest of public safety, we share all of that through the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations website,” she said.
Giving (and getting) feedback is an important part of Shepard’s job. She said it’s crucial for anyone who works in nuclear power. “If I see someone doing something wrong, and I say nothing – and it leads to consequences – we can’t have that,” she said.
Her desire to expand her skills and advance in the organization has always been met with support from managers. “Whenever I’ve said I was interested in something, a manager has helped me figure out what path to take,” she said.