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Power Plant Operator

Overview and Key Facts

operations from desk
Education
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Median Pay
Median Pay
$99,670
Job Growth
Job Growth
-11.20%
(Below US Average)
Jobs in 2034
Jobs in 2034
28,000

What Do They Do?

A power plant operator could...

 
geothermal power plant
Monitor gauges and sensors to decide when to release steam from geothermal power plant valves.
dam
Open extra floodgates on a hydroelectric dam to meet the demand for more electricity on a hot day.
city skyline
Prevent blackouts by inspecting power plant equipment and ordering repairs when necessary.
turbines
Clean, lubricate, and maintain turbines, generators, pumps, and compressors to prevent failure and deterioration.
 
geothermal power plant dam city skyline turbines

Overview Listen to this section

No matter what time of the day or night, or what the weather is like, power plant operators work to ensure that homes and businesses have a reliable source of power. They switch the plant generators on and off, as needed, and monitor and maintain generators, turbines, and pumps to prevent failures.
Watch this video to see the work that happens inside real power plants, so that families everywhere can have reliable power to their homes and schools every day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZxD5p1mziM

Do You Have the Skills and Characteristics of a Power Plant Operator?


  1. Operations Monitoring: ?
  2. Operation and Control: ?
  3. Critical Thinking: ?
  4. Speaking: ?
  5. Quality Control Analysis: ?
More skills...

Core Tasks

Think about if you'd like the typical tasks a Power Plant Operator might do:
  • Adjust controls to generate specified electrical power or to regulate the flow of power between generating stations and substations.
  • Monitor power plant equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems.
  • Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels.
  • 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.
  • Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment.
  • Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary.
  • Open and close valves and switches in sequence to start or shut down auxiliary units.
  • Communicate with systems operators to regulate and coordinate line voltages and transmission loads and frequencies.
  • Inspect records or log book entries or communicate with plant personnel to assess equipment operating status.
  • Regulate equipment operations and conditions, such as water levels, based on instrument data or from computers.
  • Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
  • Record and compile operational data by completing and maintaining forms, logs, or reports.
  • Clean, lubricate, or maintain equipment, such as generators, turbines, pumps, or compressors, to prevent failure or deterioration.
  • Place standby emergency electrical generators on line in emergencies and monitor the temperature, output, and lubrication of the system.
  • Make adjustments or minor repairs, such as tightening leaking gland or pipe joints.
  • Analyze the layout, instrumentation, or function of electrical generation or transmission facilities.
  • Diagnose or troubleshoot problems with gas collection systems.
  • Monitor well fields periodically to ensure proper functioning and performance.
  • Operate landfill gas, methane, or natural gas fueled electrical generation systems.
  • Prepare and submit compliance, operational, and safety forms or reports.
  • Repair or replace gas piping.
  • Trace electrical circuitry to ensure compliance of electrical systems with applicable codes or laws.
  • Verify that well field monitoring data conforms to applicable regulations.

Salary & Job Openings

Median Salary (Yearly Pay)

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Future Jobs

Blast-Off:

How Will Power Plant Operator Jobs Grow by 2034?
Projected % Growth
Rapid growth
(10% or higher)
Much faster than average
(7% - 10%)
Faster than average
(5% - 7%)
About as fast as average
(3% - 5%)
Slower than average
(0% - 3%)
Decreasing
Average of all U.S. jobs (5.3%)
Power Plant Operator jobs (-11.20%)
Source: https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm

Steps to Get There: Becoming a Power Plant Operator

High School Subjects to Study

Aim to study the yellow-shaded subjects.
Math
Algebra 1
Geometry
Algebra 2
Pre-Calculus
Calculus
Statistics
Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Environmental Science
Physiology
Bio-Medical / Biotech
IT &
Engineering
Computer Science
Applied Technology
Drafting & CAD Training
Core
English
Foreign Language
Business
Psychology / Sociology

Career Pathway Listen to this section

Power plant operators generally need a combination of education, on-the-job training, and experience. Candidates with strong computer and technical skills are generally preferred.

Education- Typical Degree Needed After High School Listen to this section

Degree
Post
high school credential
AA
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctoral or Professional Degree

Typical degree for an entry-level position: High school diploma or equivalent ? Types of Degrees and Credentials

Employers often seek recent high school graduates for entry-level operator positions. Workers with college or vocational school degrees will have more advancement opportunities, especially in nuclear power plants. Although it is not a prerequisite, many senior reactor operators have a bachelor's degree in engineering or in the physical sciences.

Workers selected for training as power plant operators undergo extensive on-the-job and classroom instruction. Several years of training and experience are required for a worker to become a fully qualified control room operator.

In addition to receiving initial training to become fully qualified as a power plant operator, most workers are given periodic refresher training, especially the nuclear power plant operators. Refresher training usually is taken on plant simulators designed specifically to replicate procedures and situations that might be encountered at the trainee's plant.

Companies That Hire Power Plant Operators

Try it Out with an Activity or Project

STEM Activities

STEM activities are fun hands-on explorations that usually take from 10 minutes to one hour and use readily available household or classroom materials while introducing you to STEM concepts common in this career.

Science Project Ideas

Project Ideas are in-depth STEM explorations that have a strong focus on controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and analyzing data suitable for investigating the scientific method or the engineering design process.

On the Job

Nature of the Work

Electricity is vital for most everyday activities. From the moment you flip the first switch each morning, you are connecting to a huge network of people, electric lines, and generating equipment. Power plant operators control the machinery that generates electricity.

Power plant operators control and monitor boilers, turbines, generators, and auxiliary equipment in power-generating plants. Operators distribute power demands among generators, combine the current from several generators, and monitor instruments to maintain voltage and regulate electricity flows from the plant. When power requirements change, these workers start or stop generators and connect or disconnect them from circuits. They often use computers to keep records of switching operations and loads on generators, lines, and transformers. Operators also may use computers to prepare reports of unusual incidents, malfunctioning equipment, or maintenance performed during their shift.

Operators in plants with automated control systems work mainly in a central control room and usually are called control room operators or control room operator trainees or assistants. In older plants, the controls for the equipment are not centralized—switchboard operators control the flow of electricity from a central point, while auxiliary equipment operators work throughout the plant, operating and monitoring valves, switches, and gauges.

In nuclear power plants, most operators start working as equipment operators or as auxiliary operators. They help the more senior workers with equipment maintenance and operation, while learning the basics of plant operation. With experience and training, they may be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as reactor operators and authorized to control equipment that affects the power of the reactor in a nuclear power plant. Senior reactor operators supervise the operation of all controls in the control room. At least one senior operator must be on duty during each shift to act as the plant supervisor.

Work Environment

Operators who work in control rooms generally sit or stand at a control station. This work is not physically strenuous, but it does require constant attention. Operators who work outside the control room may be exposed to danger from electric shock, falls, and burns.

Nuclear power plant operators are subject to random drug and alcohol tests, as are most workers at such plants. Additionally, they have to pass a medical examination every two years and may be exposed to small amounts of ionizing radiation as part of their jobs.

Because electricity is provided around the clock, operators, distributors, and dispatchers usually work one of three 8-hour shifts or one of two 12-hour shifts on a rotating basis. Shift assignments may change periodically, so that all operators share less desirable shifts. Work on rotating shifts can be stressful and fatiguing because of the constant change in living and sleeping patterns.

More Information

Ask Questions

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