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Power Plant Operators

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.

Related: Biomass Plant Technicians Gas Plant Operators Geothermal Technicians Hydroelectric Plant Technicians Stationary Engineers & Boiler Operators

Industries: Utilities Government

Summary
Details

Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels.
Adjust controls to generate specified electrical power or to regulate the flow of power between generating stations and substations.
Regulate equipment operations and conditions, such as water levels, based on instrument data or from computers.
Operate, control, or monitor equipment, such as acid or gas carbon dioxide removal units, carbon dioxide compressors, or pipelines, to capture, store, or transport carbon dioxide exhaust.
Clean, lubricate, or maintain equipment, such as generators, turbines, pumps, or compressors, to prevent failure or deterioration.
Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary.
Collect oil, water, or electrolyte samples for laboratory analysis.
Open and close valves and switches in sequence to start or shut down auxiliary units.
Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment.
Place standby emergency electrical generators on line in emergencies and monitor the temperature, output, and lubrication of the system.
Place standby emergency electrical generators on line in emergencies and monitor the temperature, output, and lubrication of the system.
Operate, control, or monitor gasifiers or related equipment, such as coolers, water quenches, water gas shifts reactors, or sulfur recovery units, to produce syngas or electricity from coal.
Record and compile operational data by completing and maintaining forms, logs, or reports.
Receive outage calls and request necessary personnel during power outages or emergencies.
Examine and test electrical power distribution machinery and equipment, using testing devices.
Control or maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, or chlorinators, to supply water, fuel, lubricants, air, or auxiliary power.
Monitor power plant equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems.
Operate, control, or monitor integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) or related equipment, such as air separation units, to generate electricity from coal.
Inspect records or log book entries or communicate with plant personnel to assess equipment operating status.
Clean, lubricate, or maintain equipment, such as generators, turbines, pumps, or compressors, to prevent failure or deterioration.
Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary.
Operate or maintain distributed power generation equipment, including fuel cells or microturbines, to produce energy on-site for manufacturing or other commercial purposes.
Operate or maintain distributed power generation equipment, including fuel cells or microturbines, to produce energy on-site for manufacturing or other commercial purposes.
Communicate with systems operators to regulate and coordinate line voltages and transmission loads and frequencies.
Control or maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, or chlorinators, to supply water, fuel, lubricants, air, or auxiliary power.
Clean, lubricate, or maintain equipment, such as generators, turbines, pumps, or compressors, to prevent failure or deterioration.
Make adjustments or minor repairs, such as tightening leaking gland or pipe joints.

Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.

Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

More than 1 year on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

124050/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

59.64/hr

Currently Employed

370

Yearly Projected Openings

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

Dependability
Analytical Thinking
Attention to Detail
Integrity
Adaptability/Flexibility
Cooperation

Absorbent booms
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Adjustable wrenches
Air compressors
Air dryers
Air samplers or collectors
Air scrubbers
Alarm systems
All terrain vehicles tracked or wheeled
Anemometers
Backhoes
Belt conveyors
Blowers
Boiler or heater igniter
Brushless motor DC
Bucket conveyors
Catalytic combustion analyzers
Chain conveyors
Claw hammer
Combustible or hazardous gas detectors for power generators
Commercial water heaters
Condensing units
Conductivity meters
Desktop computers
Diesel generators
Digital readout recorders
Dump trucks
Electrical control panels for generators
Electrical or power regulators
Electrostatic apparatus
Evaporative coolers
Facial shields
Fire tube boilers
Fixed screens
Flare or vent stacks
Flow transmitters
Flowmeters
Gas detectors
Gas generators
Gasoline engines
Graphic recorders
Grease guns
Hand pumps
Hard hats
Heat exchangers
Heat pumps
Impact crushers
Infrared imagers
Level sensors or transmitters
Light trucks or sport utility vehicles
Limit switch
Mainframe computers
Motor compressors
Multi gas monitors
Notebook computers
Oil filters
Oil gun
Oxygen gas analyzers
Personal computers
Portable data input terminals
Power supply transformers
Pressure indicators
Pressure sensors
Pressure transmitters
Process air heaters
Pulverizing machinery
Respiration air supplying self contained breathing apparatus or accessories
Rotameters
Safety valves
Sampling pumps
Screw conveyor
Screwdrivers
Sight flow windows
Signal converters
Skid steer loaders
Steam engines
Steam generators
Substation load control switchgears
Switchyard disconnect switches
Temperature transmitters
Thermal engines
Touch screen monitors
Turbine engines
Vacuum pumps
Venturis
Vibration testers
Water filters
Water pumps
Water purification equipment
Water samplers
Water softening accessories
Water tube boiler
Wet scrubbers

Analytical or scientific software
Data base user interface and query software
Electronic mail software
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Facilities management software
Industrial control software
Internet browser software
Office suite software
Operating system software
Presentation software
Spreadsheet software
Word processing software

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