Mechanical Engineering Intern

Blue Energy; Chevy Chase (MD); On-site; USD 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Energy is seeking a highly motivated Mechanical Engineering Intern to support technical analysis and early-stage engineering work across power plant design and infrastructure systems.

This role is ideal for a mechanical engineering student entering their final year who will take ownership of a core technical workstream while contributing to smaller analyses. You will gain hands-on experience in clean energy infrastructure as the company grows.

Qualifications

• Pursuing Mechanical/Nuclear/Chemical engineering degree.
• Have coursework in heat transfer and/or fluid mechanics.
• Familiar with power plant systems / Rankine cycle.
• Experience with system design/writing requirements.
• Nuclear background a plus.

Responsibilities

• Mechanical and Process Analysis: Perform mechanical, thermal, and process calculations for plant systems and balance-of-plant design.
• System Sizing and Cost Estimation: Contribute to sizing and high-level cost estimates for plant infrastructure.
• Power Plant Systems Research: Research subsystems and integrate data into analyses and design workflows.
• Vendor Engagement: Communicate with equipment vendors to understand capabilities and design options.
• Technical Documentation: Develop clear calculation packages and reports documenting methodologies and results.
• Engineering Tools Exposure: Gain hands-on experience with industry-standard engineering tools such as Thermoflex.

Skills

Heat transfer

Fluid mechanics

Thermodynamics

Systems engineering

Cost/feasibility analysis

Education

Mechanical / Nuclear / Chemical engineering degree (undergraduate)

Tools

Thermoflex

Job description

Company Overview

Blue Energy’s mission is to unlock energy abundance, energy affordability, energy security, and turn-key decarbonization by developing the fastest path to deploying new nuclear MWs at scale. We are utilizing shipyard manufacturing supply chains and techniques from offshore oil and wind to reduce the cost of nuclear plants by over 60% and the manufacturing timeline to 24 months. Blue Energy is a platform technology that makes use of the latest NRC-approved reactors and is in negotiations with existing nuclear and industrial sites, enabling a much faster regulatory pathway to deploy our first unit. With our innovative centralized shipyard manufacturing approach, we can put nuclear power on a cost-reduction learning curve akin to wind, solar, and lithium-ion batteries.

Position Overview

Blue Energy is seeking a highly motivated Mechanical Engineering Intern to support technical analysis and early-stage engineering work across our power plant design and infrastructure systems.

This role is ideal for a mechanical engineering student entering their final year of undergraduate study who is eager to apply classroom fundamentals to real-world, utility-scale energy systems. You will take ownership of a core technical workstream over the course of the summer (such as system sizing and cost estimation for plant infrastructure) while also contributing to smaller, ad‑hoc engineering analyses that provide broad exposure to power plant design and industry‑standard tools.

You will work closely with experienced engineers and gain hands‑on experience in clean energy infrastructure at a pivotal stage of company growth.

A Day in the Life

As an intern at Blue Energy, you will:

• Mechanical and Process Analysis: Perform mechanical, thermal, and process calculations to support power plant systems and balance‑of‑plant design.

• System Sizing and Cost Estimation: Contribute to sizing and high‑level cost estimates for plant infrastructure, including the steam turbine island, cooling water system, and other plant auxiliaries.

• Power Plant Systems Research: Research power plant subsystems and integrate technical assumptions and data into engineering analyses and design workflows.

• Vendor Engagement: Communicate with equipment vendors to understand technical capabilities, performance characteristics, and potential design solutions.

• Technical Documentation: Develop clear, well‑structured calculation packages and technical reports that document methodologies, assumptions, and results.

• Engineering Tools Exposure: Gain hands‑on experience with industry‑standard engineering and heat and mass balance tools (e.g., Thermoflex) used in power plant design.

You will thrive in this role if you are:

• Curious and Analytical: You enjoy digging into how complex mechanical and energy systems work and asking thoughtful questions to deepen your understanding.

• Comfortable Learning Through Iteration: You are comfortable making mistakes, incorporating feedback, and refining your work as part of the engineering process.

• Passionate About Clean Energy: You are motivated by the role that nuclear and other clean energy technologies play in decarbonization and long-term energy reliability.

• Interdisciplinary in Your Thinking: You are comfortable working across thermodynamics, fluids, systems engineering, and cost or feasibility considerations.

• Detail‑Oriented and Structured: You take pride in producing clear, well‑organized calculations and documentation that others can easily follow and build upon.

Qualifications/Helpful Background

• Pursuing Mechanical/Nuclear/Chemical engineering degree.

• Have undertaken coursework in heat transfer and/or fluid mechanics.

• Familiar with power plant systems/rankine cycle.

• Experience with system design/ writing requirements etc.

• Nuclear background a plus!

We look forward to your application and helping foster an era of safe, clean, affordable, and abundant energy.

Blue Energy is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this or other roles at Blue Energy now or in the future.