# Power Plant Operators

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

- **SOC code:** 51-8013.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8013-00
- **Also known as:** Auxiliary Operator, Control Room Operator, Operations and Maintenance Technician (O and M Tech), Power Plant Operator, Control Operator, Multicraft Operator (MCO), Plant Control Operator, Plant Operator
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels.
- Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment.
- Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
- Monitor power plant equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems.
- 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.
- Adjust controls to generate specified electrical power or to regulate the flow of power between generating stations and substations.
- Open and close valves and switches in sequence to start or shut down auxiliary units.
- 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.
- 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.
- Regulate equipment operations and conditions, such as water levels, based on instrument data or from computers.
- 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.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Operation and Control _(transferable_skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(ability)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Public Safety and Security _(knowledge)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Production and Processing _(knowledge)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Chemistry _(Specialized Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Access _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- SAP software _(hot technology)_
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- Continuous emissions monitoring systems CEMS
- Distributed control system DCS
- Email software
- Emerson Ovation

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 29th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 39th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 37th percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 17th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 71st percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** -11.2% growth (Declining); 2.5k annual openings; 31.6k → 28k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $99,670; 30,720 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 55% automation, — augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 3.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** directive.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Record and compile operational data by completing and maintaining forms, logs, or reports. _(0.4% of measured AI use; directive)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me record and compile operational data by completing and maintaining forms, logs, or reports.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8013-00_