IN HIS DAY JOB, EDUARDO GONZALEZ, 24, IS A MEMBER OF THE BRIGADE OF LIVE LINES FOR EMELECTRIC, A CHILEAN AFFILIATE OF PPL CORP. (Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.). In his spare time, he enjoys motocross competitions. From the time he was very young, Gonzalez marveled at the sight of bold pilots in their colorful jumpsuits. These pilots were not of the jet variety, but of the high-speed sport of motocross variety. They sped across the expanse of beaches at Cahuil, bordering Gonzalez's native city of Pichilemu, on the Pacific Coast side of central Chile.

Over time, Gonzalez has managed to devote himself to the sport. “I've dedicated many hours of practice to this sport, and it demands much sacrifice and excellent physical conditioning,” he said. “There have been many difficult and challenging moments, but it is exactly this challenge that keeps me passionate about this sport, along with the adventure and the contact with nature.”

Gonzalez began participating in the sport at the local level about five years ago. He also has had the opportunity to participate in the sport at the international level. He claims to have suffered some falls along the way, but without serious consequences. “I recognize that it is an extreme sport and that I must act with caution to avoid unnecessary dangers,” he admitted.

The vehicle he is riding at the present time is a KTM exc, 450 cc, with electrical instrument panel, digital board and hydraulically engineered brakes.

On the job, Gonzalez also acts with caution to avoid dangers. He is one of the specialists responsible for the delicate maintenance of live power lines for PPL's electricity distribution companies in Latin America.

Gonzalez began working in the live brigades two years ago. He started in a general training program with Emelectric in January 2000. In September 2000, at the age of 18, he was contracted as an operations electrician, a position he maintained until March 2004, at which time he joined the live brigades.

Las Brigadas de Lineas Vivas (The Brigades of Live Lines) are equipped with special suits, gloves and tools in order to perform preventive maintenance and to repair live power lines of medium tension from 13,000 V to 23,000 V. This work is designed to minimize disruptions in customer service for PPL's electricity distribution companies in Chile (Emel), Bolivia (Elfec) and El Salvador (DelSur).

“What keeps me passionate about the sport of motocross racing is the urge to get better every day, but particularly in the sense committing fewer errors each day,” Gonzalez said. “In order to accomplish this goal, I must train as much as possible in the gymnasium, but most of my training is across the beaches and hills of Pichilemu. This training invigorates me because I can enjoy a spectacular landscape and be in contact with nature. I also can share my passion for the sport with different people and share their own power and experience.”

Each weekend, Gonzalez commutes the 60 miles (97 km) from his Live Brigades post at Santa Cruz to take advantage of Pichilemu's beaches and hills.

“What keeps me passionate about my work with Emelectric is the knowledge that in my hands I have conductors with pure energy through which tension levels flows from 7000 to 23,000 V and currents that surpass the 100 A,” Gonzalez said. “I understand this is a great responsibility, and I acknowledge that the work I am doing is improving service and repairing possible faults without suspending electrical service for our customers and without infringing upon the daily vital activities of thousands of families, trains, hospitals and schools.

“I also want to acknowledge how important my family is to me in my ability to balance my work and my hobby,” Gonzalez said. “From them, I have learned about all of the effort, sacrifice and values it takes to be a responsible person in this life, to spear the moment and to recognize that the only defeat is not to continue fighting.”

Editor's Note: Emelectric, the largest of the five subsidiaries of holding company Emel, serves about 210,000 customers in central Chile. Emel, in turn, is part of PPL Global, the international arm of PPL Corp.