The Electric Power Generation (EPG) technician spent a total of eight weeks on the ice, splitting his time between the South Pole and McMurdo research stations. His first task—and the reason he made the trip—was to support a project by the University of Wisconsin—Maddison’s Physical Sciences Laboratory (PSL).
“The opportunity to go came about after we repaired a containerised generator set that arrived from the South Pole,” says Tony.
It was one of three identical generators that supply critical power to a project called the IceCube upgrade.
IceCube is a neutrino observatory located at Antarctica’s Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. Construction began in 2005 when the first of 86 ‘strings’ were drilled deep into the ice, each containing 60 complex optical sensors designed to detect tiny subatomic particles called neutrinos.
PSL then asked if Terra had any EPG technicians interested in supporting the project in its first season back at the South Pole since 2010. They’d been tasked with installing eight more 2.5km-deep strings of detectors.
Tony landed in Antarctica on November 16, 2023, spending three days at McMurdo Station before flying to the South Pole. In January, Tony headed back to McMurdo to assist in a major overhaul of a Cat 3516B powerplant generator, but not before he had worked his magic on an old generator that had been out of action for 10 years.
“Before I left the South Pole, I was asked to head down to the power plant to help get one of their generators back into service,” says Tony.
Their Cat 3406 peaking generator hadn’t worked for a decade, so it was cool being able to help them get it going again.
Tony with Terra technicians Anthony Barge, Irish Villaroel and Stefan Foster
In his three years with Terra, the Antarctic trip ranks as the highlight for Tony. Still, trading the New Zealand sun for a summer in the icy southern continent wasn’t without challenges.
“Being away from my family and girlfriend was the hardest part,” he admits. “Long-distance communication isn’t easy, plus the internet at the South Pole works on a satellite window, so there are times you have no internet. McMurdo now has Starlink, so calling back home is a lot easier than it used to be.
“And the South Pole offers plenty of activities and events like sports in the gym, game nights and movie nights to keep you entertained. McMurdo has that and more – hiking and outdoor activities like skiing and snowboarding.”
Tony says good company made a big difference, too.
On New Year's Eve, the station built a sledding hill with the dozers and later in the evening a group of us performed for the NYE party in the gym... I would definitely go back.
View all Cat EPG (Electric Power Generation) products and view current vacancies. Read this article in Issue 10 of Terra's On The Ground magazine online here.
