Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Hanwha Energy USA, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is part of the Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 300 company specializing in energy solutions. The Principal Mechanical Engineer will be responsible for the mechanical engineering strategy and lifecycle performance of utility-scale gas-fired power plants, ensuring reliability and operability while leading technical governance across the project lifecycle.
Responsibilities
- Establish and own the overall mechanical engineering philosophy for gas-fired power plants (SCGT, CCGT, and reciprocating gas engine)
- Act as the final technical decision-maker for mechanical system design, equipment selection, and lifecycle-related issues
- Define company-wide standards for:
- Rotating equipment and balance-of-plant (BOP) systems
- Redundancy, sparing philosophy, and maintainability
- Design margins, derating, and availability targets
- Lead plant-level system and process engineering for gas-fired power plant projects from concept through execution
- Develop and review key system design deliverables, including:
- Fuel Gas System configuration and pressure/flow control philosophy
- Heat & Material Balance diagrams
- Water Balance Diagrams for various operating scenarios
- Perform and validate cycle analysis for SCGT, CCGT, and gas engine plants, including:
- Plant efficiency, heat rate, and auxiliary power assessment
- Impact of ambient conditions, part-load operation, and degradation
- Define overall plant configuration and operating concept based on system-level trade-off studies
- Ensure consistency between system design assumptions and detailed mechanical/BOP design
- Provide technical leadership for gas turbines and gas engines, including:
- Performance, efficiency, and degradation assumptions
- Operating envelopes and dispatch flexibility
- Maintenance strategies and long-term service considerations
- Govern selection and integration of:
- Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs)
- Steam turbines (where applicable)
- Compressors, pumps, fans, and major auxiliaries
- Own mechanical scope for plant BOP systems, including:
- Fuel gas systems
- Cooling systems (air-cooled, water-cooled, hybrid)
- Lube oil, seal oil, and auxiliary fluid systems
- Compressed air and utility systems
- Below ground and above ground piping
- Ensure thermal and mechanical designs support:
- High ambient operation
- Frequent start-stop and load-following duty
- Long-term reliability and maintainability
- Heavy Civil/Structural design and construction support:
- Heavy industrial concrete foundations
- Steel structures
- Earthwork and Soil stabilization
- Lead engagement with:
- EPC contractors
- OEMs (GT, engine, HRSG, major equipment suppliers)
- Owner’s Engineers (OE)
- Review, challenge, and approve key deliverables, including:
- Mechanical & piping design criteria and specifications
- Equipment datasheets and technical bids
- P&IDs, layouts, and equipment arrangements
- Stress, vibration, and fatigue-related analyses
- Civil structures, foundations & earthwork
- Ensure EPC and OEM designs align with owner objectives for reliability, operability, and lifecycle cost
- Provide mechanical engineering leadership during:
- Pre-FEED and FEED decision gates
- Project acquisitions and technical due diligence
- Identify mechanical-system-related risks affecting:
- Availability and forced outage rates
- CAPEX and OPEX
- Schedule, constructability, and commissioning
- Support mitigation strategies and owner positions in commercial and technical negotiations
- Ensure mechanical systems support high availability targets (e.g., 99.9%+ where applicable)
- Oversee evaluation of:
- Mechanical bottlenecks and single points of failure
- Maintenance intervals and outage strategies
- Spare parts philosophy and long-lead items
- Drive continuous improvement of plant design based on operating experience
- Define long-term mechanical strategy to support:
- Future SCGT → CCGT conversion
- Carbon capture readiness (where applicable)
- Evaluate emerging technologies and equipment from an owner’s perspective, balancing innovation with bankability
- Provide technical direction and mentorship to senior and staff-level mechanical engineers
- Coordinate closely with:
- Electrical and Controls engineering leadership
- Development, commercial, environmental, regulatory and operations teams
- Translate complex mechanical issues into clear, actionable recommendations for executive leadership
Skills
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, or Industrial Engineering
- 10+ years of experience in power plant mechanical engineering, EPC, OEM, or owner-side roles
- Proven experience with gas turbine and/or gas engine power plants
- Deep expertise in: Rotating equipment and thermal systems, Gas turbines, gas engines, and HRSGs, Balance-of-plant mechanical systems
- Strong understanding of: High-temperature, high-cycle duty operation, Mechanical reliability, fatigue, and vibration, Plant availability and lifecycle cost drivers
- Familiarity with applicable standards (ASME, API, ISO, OEM standards)
- Ability to set mechanical engineering direction and enforce standards across multiple projects
- Strong engineering judgement balancing reliability, cost, schedule, and risk
- Confident communicator with EPCs, OEMs, and executive stakeholders
- Comfortable operating in fast-moving project development environments
- Experience supporting data center power supply projects or other high-availability applications
- Exposure to engine-based generation or hybrid plant configurations
- Experience with heavy civil/structural & piping design and construction
- Experience with hydrogen-ready or low-carbon power technologies
- Professional Engineer (PE) license
- Demonstrated experience acting as a discipline lead or technical authority is strongly preferred
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