Employer Spotlight: Hatch

By Kristen Abels

The energy sector is most definitely a broad one; opportunities exist in oil and gas extraction, refining and production, the construction of electricity production facilities (hydroelectric, nuclear, thermal energy, etc.), as well as electricity transmission, distribution and management, just to name a few! There are many companies that specialize in one aspect of the aforementioned energy sector. However, as an engineering consulting company, Hatch offers engineering expertise in all of these types of projects, and is also an excellent employer of McMaster Co-op students and new grads!

Original image can be found here.

Original image can be found here.

What type of work is done at Hatch?

Hatch provides engineering consulting to three main industries: metals and minerals, infrastructure, and – the focus of this article – energy. The company consists of about 9000 professionals working on projects in over 150 countries who are “committed to the pursuit of a better world through positive change” [1]. Self-described as “entrepreneurs with a technical soul”, Hatch’s “exceptional, diverse teams combine vast engineering and business knowledge, working in partnership with [their] clients to develop market strategies, manage and optimize production, develop new game-changing technologies, and design and deliver complex capital projects” [1].

Some examples of Hatch’s past projects within the energy sector include [2]:

  • The Bécancour Green Hydrogen Plant in Quebec (2019-2020): Hatch provided civil, structural, architectural, HVAC engineering and construction and health and safety management services in the installation of a 20 MW proton exchange membrane electrolyzer system to produce green hydrogen. This facility will be the largest of its kind in green hydrogen production! Read more here.

  • Rainy River First Nations Solar (2013-2015): Hatch provided detailed design, system modeling, noise study work for the construction of a 25 MW solar farm that supplies power to 3,900 households. Read more here.

  • Raglan Mine Integrated Wind-Storage-Diesel Energy (2012-2019): Hatch enabled 4 million litres of diesel fuel to be saved annually at a remote mining site by integrating 6 MW of wind power and 3 MW of energy storage into the existing grid to ensure power quality and stability is maintained. Read more here.

  • Maritime Link (2012-Ongoing): Hatch is providing its engineering and design services for the terrestrial portion of a transmission system that will connect the Muskrat Falls generating station in Labrador to Nova Scotia, enabling Newfoundland and Labrador to export their energy to the rest of the North American grid. Read more here.

These are just a select few of Hatch’s energy projects – to see the rest, check out their Hatch Energy Projects webpage.

What opportunities does Hatch offer to McMaster students?

With their global headquarters situated in Mississauga, six other offices located throughout Ontario, and 17 others throughout Canada, Hatch is a common employer of McMaster Co-op students and new grads [3]. In fact, Hatch hires approximately 400 graduates and over 600 students for work terms each year, and is one of Canada’s Top Employers for young people [4,5].

One new co-op and new-grad opportunity is as a Climate Change and Sustainability Engineering Intern to support their clients in various climate change and decarbonization efforts, which may include work in the energy sector and beyond. To see other student and new-grad career opportunities at Hatch, visit their Student & New Graduate Jobs website and see what opportunities are out there for you!

References

[1] Hatch, “About the Company.” [Online]. Available: https://www.hatch.com/About-Us/About-the-Company [Accessed: 23-Jan-2021].

[2] Hatch, “Energy Projects.” [Online]. Available: https://www.hatch.com/en/Projects/Energy [Accessed: 23-Jan-2021].

[3] Hatch, “Canada.” [Online]. Available: https://www.hatch.com/About-Us/Office-Locations/Canada [Accessed: 23-Jan-2021].

[4] Hatch, “Students and Graduates.” [Online]. Available: https://jobs.hatch.com/content/Students-and-Graduates/?locale=en_US [Accessed: 23-Jan-2021].

[5] R. Yerema and K. Leung, “Top Employer: Hatch Ltd.,” 12-Nov-2020. [Online]. Available: https://reviews.canadastop100.com/top-employer-hatch-engineering#young [Accessed: 28-Jan-2021].

Kristen Abels