Michael Bongartz already knew what he wanted to do when he specialized in reactor safety and technology during his mechanical engineering studies at RWTH Aachen: work in a nuclear power plant. In 1993 his dream came true when he started working at the power plant in Grohnde as a production engineer, where he went on to get additional training as a shift leader.

In 1999 he switched from production to mechanical engineering, taking on a position as head of nuclear steam generator systems and the machine technology workshop. For a while he moved to the E.ON Kernkraft headquarters in Hanover, working in the technical controlling department, but in 2003 he returned to Grohnde. Today as head of the mechanical engineering department he is responsible for making sure the plant produces safe and efficient electricity for the E.ON power distribution network.