What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Power Plant Operators in the U.S. earn more than $102,040 a year — the middle 80% land between $61,790 and $131,940. About 29,320 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Power Plant Operators”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Plant and machine operators and assemblers earn about ₹17,329 a month on average — around ₹2.1 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$102,040typical pay / year
29,320people in this work
$131,940+top 10% earn
₹2.1 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Fixing4
Adjust turbines, valves, and gates
+Adjust turbine wicket gates, penstock control valves and draft tube gates to reduce vibration and hold output…
Adjust turbines, valves, and gates
+Adjust turbine wicket gates, penstock control valves and draft tube gates to reduce vibration and hold output at 46 MW while monitoring bearing temperatures and recording each setpoint change in the control log before shift handover at 07:00.
The tools that do the workDistributed control system DCSSupervisory control and data acquisition SCADAESCOjob descriptionsO*NET
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Perform inspections
+Perform a walkdown inspection of Unit 2 intake, generator room and tailrace, verify no oil leaks, check…
Perform inspections
+Perform a walkdown inspection of Unit 2 intake, generator room and tailrace, verify no oil leaks, check coupling alignment, record insulation resistance and fill the equipment inspection checklist with photos and priority flags for any defects before the end of my shift.
The tools that do the workComputerized maintenance management system CMMSESCOjob descriptions
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Check electrical control systems
+Check main generator excitation panels and secondary control relays, verify relay pickup settings match the…
Check electrical control systems
+Check main generator excitation panels and secondary control relays, verify relay pickup settings match the single-line diagram, test emergency trip circuits under test load, and log insulation and continuity results in the control room logbook.
The tools that do the workElectrical controlDistributed control system DCSjob descriptionsO*NET
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Carry out repairs
+Carry out repairs on the Unit 3 governor linkage: isolate the unit, replace worn pins and bearings per the…
Carry out repairs
+Carry out repairs on the Unit 3 governor linkage: isolate the unit, replace worn pins and bearings per the assembly drawing, torque fasteners to spec, function-test governors under slow-roll, then update the repair record and close the maintenance job.
The tools that do the workComputerized maintenance management system CMMSESCOjob descriptions
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Make1
Install machinery at hydroelectric plants
+Install the replacement Kaplan turbine governor and associated control cabinets on Unit 1, follow the…
Install machinery at hydroelectric plants
+Install the replacement Kaplan turbine governor and associated control cabinets on Unit 1, follow the engineering drawing for anchor positions, bench-test the governor controls, update the calibration sheet, and raise a commissioning checklist for the plant engineer to verify next week.
The tools that do the workHydroelectric plantComputerized maintenance management system CMMSjob descriptionsO*NET
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Analysing1
Collect turbine data for analysis
+Collect one-minute turbine speed, power, wicket gate position and bearing temp data for Units 1–3 over the…
Collect turbine data for analysis
+Collect one-minute turbine speed, power, wicket gate position and bearing temp data for Units 1–3 over the next 24 hours, export the time series, flag any spikes above thresholds and attach the dataset to the vibration analysis request for the rotating equipment engineer.
The tools that do the workSupervisory control and data acquisition SCADADistributed control system DCSESCOjob descriptions
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The daily work14
Environmental engineering
+Update the environmental monitoring report with last quarter's intake turbidity and dissolved oxygen…
Environmental engineering
+Update the environmental monitoring report with last quarter's intake turbidity and dissolved oxygen readings, attach the site inspection notes and the updated mitigation drawings, then forward to Claire in environmental compliance and to Miguel in projects for review by Wednesday.
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Energy efficiency
+Compile hourly generation, gate leakage, and auxiliary power consumption for the last 90 days, calculate…
Energy efficiency
+Compile hourly generation, gate leakage, and auxiliary power consumption for the last 90 days, calculate normalized energy losses and projected savings from the proposed turbine sealing change, then send the summary and spreadsheet to Rosa in engineering and Sam in finance before next Monday.
The tools that do the workSupervisory control and data acquisition SCADAMicrosoft ExcelESCOsee the evidence ↗
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Engineering processes
+Update the asset reliability spreadsheet with the latest turbine vibration and bearing temperature logs,…
Engineering processes
+Update the asset reliability spreadsheet with the latest turbine vibration and bearing temperature logs, recalc mean time between failures by unit, flag any units exceeding threshold, and attach the updated sheet to the weekly engineering processes memo for Friday shift review.
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Technical drawings
+Produce a set of as-built electrical single-line drawings for Unit 2 showing generator, step-up transformer…
Technical drawings
+Produce a set of as-built electrical single-line drawings for Unit 2 showing generator, step-up transformer and breaker numbering, include cable routes and terminal labels, then upload the drawings to the maintenance drawing register before Tuesday morning.
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Perform risk analysis
+Run a risk assessment for planned outage on Spillway Gate 3: list failure modes, estimate likelihood and…
Perform risk analysis
+Run a risk assessment for planned outage on Spillway Gate 3: list failure modes, estimate likelihood and consequence using last three years' incident data, calculate residual risk with proposed mitigations, and circulate the report to the maintenance supervisor and safety officer by Wednesday.
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Adjust engineering designs
+Modify the Unit 1 governor control schematic to reduce hunting: document the proposed setpoint and gain…
Adjust engineering designs
+Modify the Unit 1 governor control schematic to reduce hunting: document the proposed setpoint and gain changes, run a stability check against recent governor logs, update the drawing revision and send to electrical lead for sign-off by Thursday.
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Promote innovative infrastructure design
+Draft a two-page proposal that outlines replacing two aging intake trashracks with self-cleaning units,…
Promote innovative infrastructure design
+Draft a two-page proposal that outlines replacing two aging intake trashracks with self-cleaning units, include expected capacity gain, lifecycle cost comparison, and a pilot timeline, then email the proposal to the plant manager and head of engineering by next Friday.
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Use technical drawing software
+Convert the hand-sketch equipment layout into an editable, scaled drawing showing unit footprints, cable…
Use technical drawing software
+Convert the hand-sketch equipment layout into an editable, scaled drawing showing unit footprints, cable trays and clearances, label all connectors and revision date, then save the finished drawing into the plant drawing folder before the weekend shift.
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Respond to operational irregularities
+Respond to the rising draft tube level by reducing wicket gate opening, verify generator excitation and…
Respond to operational irregularities
+Respond to the rising draft tube level by reducing wicket gate opening, verify generator excitation and governor response, notify Shift Supervisor Jen and the grid dispatcher, and record the sequence with timestamps in the incident log.
The tools that do the workDistributed control system DCSSupervisory control and data acquisition SCADAjob descriptions
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Communicate findings to supervisors and team
+Summarise the bearing temperature trend, recent alarm history and corrective actions taken this week, attach…
Communicate findings to supervisors and team
+Summarise the bearing temperature trend, recent alarm history and corrective actions taken this week, attach the vibration CSV and photograph, then send to Maintenance Supervisor Karen and Shift Lead Marco with clear next-step recommendations.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookCMMSjob descriptions
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Assist with installation and testing of new components
+Support the electricians and fitter during installation of the spare governor actuator by checking cable…
Assist with installation and testing of new components
+Support the electricians and fitter during installation of the spare governor actuator by checking cable routing against the schematic, confirming torque settings on couplings, performing the insulation and continuity tests, and witness the functional run test.
The tools that do the workElectrical controljob descriptions
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Analyse problems
+Analyse the recurrent trip by comparing control setpoints, sensor drift and event timestamps, recreate the…
Analyse problems
+Analyse the recurrent trip by comparing control setpoints, sensor drift and event timestamps, recreate the fault sequence from the logs, estimate root-cause likelihoods, and list required parts and risk controls for the repair plan.
The tools that do the workSupervisory control and data acquisition SCADAComputerized maintenance management system CMMSESCO
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Manage engineering project
+Manage the turbine 2 overhaul: confirm scope with Project Engineer Luis, schedule the outage with the…
Manage engineering project
+Manage the turbine 2 overhaul: confirm scope with Project Engineer Luis, schedule the outage with the Generation Planner for Tuesday, order bearings and seals, assign contractors, and publish the safety permit and weekly progress update to stakeholders.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookComputerized maintenance management system CMMSESCOsee the evidence ↗
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Distributed control
+Update forecourt dispenser statuses, outage tickets and refill runs in the distributed control record, assign…
Distributed control
+Update forecourt dispenser statuses, outage tickets and refill runs in the distributed control record, assign the overnight technician, and flag the slow pump for parts ordering before peak shift starts.
The tools that do the workDistributed control system DCSO*NET
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses