Hydroelectric Plant Technicians

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Operate high voltage switches or related devices in hydropower stations.
• Lift and move loads, using cranes, hoists, and rigging, to install or repair hydroelectric system equipment or infrastructure.
• Erect scaffolds, platforms, or hoisting frames to access hydroelectric plant machinery or infrastructure for repair or replacement.
• Take readings and record data, such as water levels, temperatures, or flow rates.
• Start, adjust, or stop generating units, operating valves, gates, or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric power generating plants.
• Inspect water-powered electric generators or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric plants to verify proper operation or to determine maintenance or repair needs.
• Maintain or repair hydroelectric plant electrical, mechanical, or electronic equipment, such as motors, transformers, voltage regulators, generators, relays, battery systems, air compressors, sump pumps, gates, or valves.
• Install or calibrate electrical or mechanical equipment, such as motors, engines, switchboards, relays, switch gears, meters, pumps, hydraulics, or flood channels.
• Maintain logs, reports, work requests, or other records of work performed in hydroelectric plants.
• Connect metal parts or components in hydroelectric plants by welding, soldering, riveting, tapping, bolting, bonding, or screwing.
• Test and repair or replace electrical equipment, such as circuit breakers, station batteries, cable trays, conduits, or control devices.
• Splice or terminate cables or electrical wiring in hydroelectric plants.
• Operate hydroelectric plant equipment, such as turbines, pumps, valves, gates, fans, electric control boards, or battery banks.
• Install or calibrate electrical or mechanical equipment, such as motors, engines, switchboards, relays, switch gears, meters, pumps, hydraulics, or flood channels.
• Change oil, hydraulic fluid, or other lubricants to maintain condition of hydroelectric plant equipment.
• Connect metal parts or components in hydroelectric plants by welding, soldering, riveting, tapping, bolting, bonding, or screwing.
• Test and repair or replace electrical equipment, such as circuit breakers, station batteries, cable trays, conduits, or control devices.
• Perform tunnel or field inspections of hydroelectric plant facilities or resources.
• Operate hydroelectric plant equipment, such as turbines, pumps, valves, gates, fans, electric control boards, or battery banks.
• Implement load or switching orders in hydroelectric plants, in accordance with specifications or instructions.
• Change oil, hydraulic fluid, or other lubricants to maintain condition of hydroelectric plant equipment.
• Communicate status of hydroelectric operating equipment to dispatchers or supervisors.
• Identify or address malfunctions of hydroelectric plant operational equipment, such as generators, transformers, or turbines.
• Monitor hydroelectric power plant equipment operation and performance, adjusting to performance specifications, as necessary.
• Perform preventive or corrective containment or cleanup measures in hydroelectric plants to prevent environmental contamination.
• Cut, bend, or shape metal for applications in hydroelectric plants, using equipment such as hydraulic benders or pipe threaders.
• Connect metal parts or components in hydroelectric plants by welding, soldering, riveting, tapping, bolting, bonding, or screwing.

Skills

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

Abilities

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

Knowledge

• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.
• 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.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• 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.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

More than 1 year on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

124050/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

59.64/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

370

Yearly Projected Openings

40

Personality

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

• Attention to Detail
• Integrity
• Analytical Thinking
• Dependability
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Independence

Tools

• Acoustic ear muffs or defenders
• Adjustable wrenches
• Ammeters
• Claw hammer
• Desktop computers
• Drill press or radial drill
• Flow sensors
• Forklifts
• Grease guns
• Handheld thermometer
• Horizontal turning center
• Hydroelectric engines
• Level sensors or transmitters
• Locking pliers
• Microcontrollers
• Multimeters
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Platform lift
• Power drills
• Power grinders
• Power saws
• Pressure indicators
• Ratchets
• Respirators
• Scaffolding
• Screwdrivers
• Socket sets
• Spot welding machine
• Steam engines
• Stripping tools
• Turbine engines
• Two way radios
• Wire cutters
• Workshop cranes

Technology

• Electronic mail software
• Facilities management software
• Industrial control software
• Internet browser software
• Office suite software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software