Thesis Work - Alarm Assessment in Digitalized Substations: Towards Smarter Maintenance Decisions

About the Thesis Work

At the digital energy solutions department we develop Vattenfall’s digital assets that make tomorrow’s energy systems more efficient, flexible, and secure. From decentralized solutions like, batteries, e-mobility, and demand response to automation, secure IT/OT integration, and communications, our team turns innovation into real-world impact, accelerating the transition to fossil freedom.

As we digitalize the control systems in our facilities, new opportunities arise to collect more detailed information. Currently, a technician is often dispatched for immediate action in response to alarms in primary substations. However, more detailed signals regarding the cause of the alarm along with information about the facility, operating mode, season, and other factors could indicate that immediate action may be postponed until a scheduled maintenance occasion or immediate action is actually required to ensure the reliability and stability of our electrical infrastructure.

The thesis aims to study the existing alarm signal at the substations, categorize and analyze them, as well as identify which signals can be integrated into digitalized substations and which additional parameters influence the assessment. The final goal of the work is to develop a methodology to determine whether an alarm requires immediate action or can be addressed at a later time.

This assignment is for 1 master student.

Your Profile

We are looking for a student who want to work towards fossil freedom and who are about to graduate from their academic studies. You are also someone who identifies with our principles: Active, Open, Positive, and Safety.

• Education – Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Power Systems Engineering, or any similar fields.
• Understanding of power systems, substations design and apparatus, protection, and automation.
• Understanding of SCADA/EMS and communication protocols in power systems.
• Familiarity with IEC standards and cybersecurity.
• Proficient in requirements management, modeling, and documentation.
• Ability to work across disciplines and communicate technical concepts effectively.
• Scope – Master thesis with 30 credits.
• Excellent fluency in written and spoken English is a must. Swedish fluency is highly preferred, as the student is expected to read documentation and communicate with experts in Swedish.

• Start date: Beginning of spring semester 2026, exact starting date is by agreement.
• Location: Solna, Stockholm.
• Application – one file containing both your CV and a copy of your transcripts.
• Application deadline: 2026-10-18, the hiring process is ongoing, therefore please apply as soon as possible,
• Contact person and supervisor at Vattenfall: Anders Karlsson, anders2.karlsson@vatenfall.com, +46 702 41 97 15 .

Diversity and Inclusion – In Everything We Do

We are convinced that heterogeneous teams can outperform homogeneous ones. But we can only unlock the power of diversity when everyone feels included. Read more about our important work on diversity and inclusion at https://careers.vattenfall.com/se/sv/jobba-med-oss/mangfald-inkludering.

About Vattenfall

At Vattenfall, we are determined to enable fossil freedom. To succeed, we must first become fully fossil-free ourselves as one of Europe’s largest energy companies. But that is not enough. To contribute to a fossil-free society, we need to do more than just focus on sustainable energy production.

We believe that enabling fossil freedom requires us to address the challenge from a broader perspective than merely producing energy sustainably.

Join us on the journey towards fossil freedom.

As Vattenfall is part of Sweden’s critical infrastructure, many of our roles are security-classified. This means that, if this position is security-classified, final candidates may be subject to a special security clearance in accordance with the Security Protection Act.

To enable the fossil freedom that drives society forward – this is our purpose. We are looking for talented students who want to help us on our journey towards fossil freedom. By writing a thesis at Vattenfall, you will have a unique opportunity to contribute to our purpose.