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ALL CAREER STAGES  |  UK-SPEC: A,B,E  |  TWO DAYS  |  IN-PERSON  |  CPD: 26 HOURS  |  COST: FROM £1199

High voltage engineering and testing technical training course

22 - 24 September 2026 | University of Manchester, UK - Register your interest

About the technical training course

HVET is the only training course of its kind, providing information and insight into the methods, techniques and technologies within the high voltage testing and transmission engineering industry.

From the basics of high voltage power systems, to more advanced methodology and practice, the course covers individual components and fundamental aspects of high voltage testing techniques both in the classroom and in an active high voltage testing lab.

You’ll gain expert tuition from engineering practitioners and learn through interactive sessions, industrial experiences and case studies. All attendees also receive a digital copy of High-Voltage Engineering and Testing, 3rd edition as part of their registration.

Course trainers
Carl Johnstone

Carl Johnson

Director, i4 Asset Management
Paul Obanor

Paul Obanor

System Capability Manager, National Energy System Operator (NESO), UK
Robert Madarasz

Robert Madarasz

Sales and Application Manager PD Testing and Monitoring Solutions, Megger
Mark Waldron

Mark Waldron

Switchgear Technical Leader, National Grid, UK
Raj Pal

Raj Pal

Senior Transformer Design Engineer, GE Grid Solutions Ltd, UK
Ian Cotton

Ian Cotton

Head of Research, School of Engineering, University of Manchester, UK
HansErik Keizer

HansErik Keizer

Principal Consultant, Asset Management, Energy Systems DNV Netherlands B.V., The Netherlands
Colin Davidson

Colin Davidson

Consulting Engineer HVDC & FACTS, GE Verona
Andrew Barclay

Andrew Barclay

Principal Engineer, Kinectrics International Europe, UK
Mark Lashbrook

Mark Lashbrook

Technical & Product Lead - MIDEL & MIVOLT, Shell, UK
Benjamin Smith

Benjamin Smith

HV Manager, HV & Transmission Operations at Ørsted
Mario Jochim

Mario Jochim

Regional Sales Manager, Highvolt Pruftechnik Dresden GmbH

Programme highlights

  • Three days of training delivered by high voltage experts.
    Access to speaker presentations
  • 26 CPD hours and a certificate
  • A digital copy of High Voltage Engineering and Testing, 3rd edition book
  • Lunch and refreshments throughout
  • Site visit to the HV Labs.

Key themes of the course

  • High voltage overhead power lines
  • High voltage system components and cables
  • High voltage testing techniques
  • High voltage system stresses and insulation coordination
  • Testing for endurance and reliability
  • Renewable integration
  • Lifetime asset management
  • The future of electricity networks.

High-Voltage Engineering and Testing, 3rd Edition

This book describes strategic developments in the field and reflects on how they can best be managed. All the key components of high voltage and distribution systems are covered including electric power networks, UHV and HV.

All HVET course attendees receive a digital copy of the book as part of their registration.

Course programme

Day one - 9am - 6.30pm

09:00 Registration and morning refreshments
09:15 Chair's Welcome
Carl Johnstone, Director, i4 Asset Management, UK
09:20 Session 1: Electricity networks – What does the future hold?
  • An overview of our latest Future Energy Scenarios and strategic network plans and the implications for future networks.
Paul Obanor, System Capability Manager, National Energy System Operator (NESO), UK
10:05 Session 2: Renewables integration
  • An understanding of the primary systems and equipment in place to transfer energy created via renewable systems into the grid
Robert Madarasz, Megger
10:50 Refreshment break
11:10 Session 3: High voltage switchgear
  • Understand the design and testing of HVAC circuit-breakers and the relationship with power system stresses and performance
Mark Waldron, Switchgear Technical Leader, National Grid, UK
12:10 Session 4: Design of high-voltage power transformers
  • A brief insight into design, manufacture & testing of transformers
  • Understanding of main specified parameters
  • Knowledge of what's inside the transformer tank
  • Appreciation of various tests carried out to verify main specified parameters
Raj Pal, Senior Transformer Design Engineer, GE Grid Solutions Ltd, UK
13:10 Lunch
14:00 Session 5: High voltage system stresses and insulation coordination
  • Understand the ways in which high voltage can cause insulation systems to fail
  • Understand the role of insulation coordination on the power system
  • Understand the importance of high voltage testing in delivering reliable products
Ian Cotton, Head of Research, School of Engineering, University of Manchester, UK
15:00 Refreshment break
15:10 Group A walks to the labs 
15:30 Group A lab session 1:
Practical demonstrations of testing in the HV laboratories

Group B has free time
16:40 Group B walks to the labs
17:00 Group B lab session 1:
Practical demonstrations of testing in the HV laboratories

Group A end of day one
18:30 Group B end of day one

Day three - 9am - 4.40pm

09:00 Morning refreshments
09:10 Session 10: Asset management - an industrial perspective interactive session

Carl Johnstone, Director, i4 Asset Management, UK
10:10

Session 11: Offshore maintenance

Benjamin Smith, Head of Transmission & OFTO, Ørsted
11:10 Refreshment break
11:30 Session 12: Novel high-voltage materials
  • Understand the landscape of novel insulating materials in the market, particularly liquids
  • Gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the different options
  • Gain an understanding of the design changes necessary to incorporate novel materials into equipment, with a focus on transformers and dielectric liquids
Mark Lashbrook, Technical & Product Lead - MIDEL & MIVOLT, Shell, UK
12:30 Lunch
13:10 Group A walks to the labs
13:30 Group A Lab session 3: 

Practical demonstrations of testing in the HV laboratories

Group B Session 13: Lifetime asset management

Carl Johnstone, Director, i4 Asset Management
14:30 Group B refreshment break
14:50 Group B walks to the labs
15:00 Group A walks to the course venue
15:10

Group B Lab session 3: 

Practical demonstrations of testing in the HV laboratories
15:20 Group A refreshment break
15:40 Group A session 13: Lifetime asset management

Carl Johnstone, Director, i4 Asset Management, UK
16:40 End of course for groups A and B

Day two - 9am - 7pm

09:00 Group A lab session 2:
Practical demonstrations of testing in the HV laboratories
09:20 Group B session 6: High Voltage testing techniques
  • Short introduction in High Voltage testing
  • Practical information on partial discharge measurements
  • Background information on failure rates
Hans Erik Keizer, Principal Consultant, Asset Management, Energy systems DNV Netherlands B.V., The Netherlands
10:20 Group B refreshment break
10:40 Group A walks to course venue
Group B walks to labs 
11:00 Group A refreshment break 

Group B lab session 2:
Practical demonstrations of testing in the HV laboratories
11:30

Group A session 6: High Voltage testing techniques

  • Short introduction in High Voltage testing
  • Practical information on partial discharge measurements
  • Background information on failure rates
Hans Erik Keizer, Principal Consultant, Asset Management, Energy systems DNV Netherlands B.V., The Netherlands
12:40 Lunch break
13:40 Session 7: High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) power transmission
  • Understand the situations in which HVDC is used in preference to AC transmission, the types of conversion equipment and the major high-voltage engineering challenges posed by the technology
Colin Davidson, GE Vernova
14:40 Session 8: High-voltage cable systems

Andrew Barclay, Principal Engineer, Kinectrics International Europe, UK
15:40 Refreshment break
16:00 Session 9: Testing for endurance and reliability: high voltage renewable power systems
  • Improved understanding of testing of cable, GIS and transformer
Mario Jochim, HIGHVOLT
17:00 Panel discussion and Q&A 

Andrew Barclay, Colin Davidson, Hans Erik Keizer and Mario Jochim
17:30 End of day two
19:00 Course dinner sponsored by Megger
Place are limited, and attendees will be contacted two weeks in advance of the course with details on how to register.

Course registration and pricing

Early-bird

(Until 7 August 2026)

Member - £1959
Non-member - £2369
Student* - £1199

Standard tickets

(Until 11 September 2026)

IET Member - £2169
Non-Member - £2679
Student* - £1199

Late tickets

  

IET Member - £2369
Non-Member - £2889
Student* - £1449
What's included in registration?

  • Three days of training delivered by high voltage experts.
  • Access to speaker presentations
  • 26 CPD hours and a certificate
  • A digital copy of High Voltage Engineering and Testing, 3rd Edition book
  • Lunch and refreshments throughout
  • Site visit to the HV Labs.
Group booking discounts

The following discount codes are for member and non-member delegate registration only, and not applicable to student bookings.

  • 10% discount for 3 to 5 delegates – HVETGR3TO5
  • 15% discount for 6 plus delegates – HVETGR6PLUS

Please note that payment must be made in full, and we do not accept AMEX when registering online.

If you need to pay for your group by proforma invoice, please contact events@theiet.org.
Terms and conditions

All prices are per person. If you require a proforma invoice before booking and/or wish to pay via purchase order, please contact us: events@theiet.org. We regret that we cannot accept AMEX for online payments.

*All students must provide a copy of their student pass or letter of enrolment from their college or University.

Once registered please email your documentation to events@theiet.org along with your booking confirmation number.

By attending this event, you’re helping to support the IET’s charitable mission, helping to inspire, inform and influence the global engineering and technology community, to engineer a better world.