Timo Jahnke is an educated telecommunication and residential electrician and has dedicated his whole career to the electricity industry. As he rose in station, so did the voltage of his work: starting with housing electrics, moving on to industry projects and later 10kV stations, to finally end up at Baltic Cable with much higher voltages. Timo has worked for Baltic Cable as a contractor since 2005 and joined the team completely in 2023.
What is your role as Station Manager at the German Station in Herrenwyk?
“I am responsible for keeping the station in good shape and at 100 percent technical availability to transmit electricity. Every day I check the station equipment and the recorded events from our control systems to see if any fault occurred during the night and whether these need to be rectified immediately or schedule for repair. I also coordinate our subcontractors, plan and manage our maintenance and monthly rounding’s, and make sure all outcome is handled and documented.”
What inspired you to pursue a career in the energy industry?
“We can blame my mother for that! When I was three years old, she gave me a power outlet with a cover. I unscrewed the cover and screwed it back on again – repeatedly. Then as a teenager, I liked to assemble different electronic kits from Philips, like radios and burglar alarms. Electrical engineering is never boring and there is always so much development in all voltage areas.”
What projects are you working on right now?
“Several projects to prolong the lifespan and improve the availability of our station and cable. For example, we are replacing our 10kV auxillary power system, a station that switches our external 10 kV feed. This feed is extremely important for the operation of our systems and there is a lot of preparation time for the exchange that will be done in 2027.”
What do you enjoy most about your work at Baltic Cable?
“The self-organization and the freedom that the company gives us, and like my workplace in the station, which is located right on the waterfront. I also enjoy working with all my colleagues and always look forward to meeting them when visiting Sweden. And in between visits, my dog Tarek keeps me company in my day-to day work.”
What do you like to do outside of work?
“I work out at the gym and spend time with my wife and dog. We try to travel with our caravan an explore places in Europe as often as we can. This year, we had our first trip to Scandinavia in the Swedish Dalarna, to experience a classic Midsummers eve celebration”
