Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
Occupation · SOC 51-8013.04
Monitor and control activities associated with hydropower generation. Operate plant equipment, such as turbines, pumps, valves, gates, fans, electric control boards, and battery banks. Monitor equipment operation and performance and make necessary adjustments to ensure optimal performance. Perform equipment maintenance and repair as necessary.
Also called: Hydro Technician (Hydro Tech) · Hydroelectric Mechanic · Operations and Maintenance Technician (O and M Technician) · Power Plant Mechanic · Hydro Plant Technician (Hydro Plant Tech) · Hydroelectric Operations and Maintenance Technician (Hydro O and M Technician) · Hydroelectric Operator · Hydroelectric Plant Mechanic · Plant Mechanic · Power Plant Technician (Power Plant Tech) · Communications and Instrumentation Mechanic (C and I Mechanic) · Hydro Mechanic
Job family: Production Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-51-8013-04/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-11.2% by 2034)
- 2,500 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $99,670/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (71st); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (21st)
21st-percentile task overlap — yet about 2,500 openings a year (-11.2% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 39th | -0.3 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 14th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 17th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 71st percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -11.2% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 2,500 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 31,600 → 28,000 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Hydroelectric Plant Technicians sits at the 51st percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
28% mean task exposure (2025)
51st percentile of 427 placed occupations
−7 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Power Production Plant Operators · 3131 | 28% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Monitor hydroelectric power plant equipment operation and performance, adjusting to performance specifications, as necessary. Core · importance 4.4
- Identify or address malfunctions of hydroelectric plant operational equipment, such as generators, transformers, or turbines. Core · importance 4.4
- Start, adjust, or stop generating units, operating valves, gates, or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric power generating plants. Core · importance 4.4
- Perform preventive or corrective containment or cleanup measures in hydroelectric plants to prevent environmental contamination. Core · importance 4.3
- Communicate status of hydroelectric operating equipment to dispatchers or supervisors. Core · importance 4.3
- Inspect water-powered electric generators or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric plants to verify proper operation or to determine maintenance or repair needs. Core · importance 4.3
- Operate high voltage switches or related devices in hydropower stations. Core · importance 4.3
- Operate hydroelectric plant equipment, such as turbines, pumps, valves, gates, fans, electric control boards, or battery banks. Core · importance 4.3
- 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. Core · importance 4.3
- Implement load or switching orders in hydroelectric plants, in accordance with specifications or instructions. Core · importance 4.3
- Install or calibrate electrical or mechanical equipment, such as motors, engines, switchboards, relays, switch gears, meters, pumps, hydraulics, or flood channels. Core · importance 4.2
- Change oil, hydraulic fluid, or other lubricants to maintain condition of hydroelectric plant equipment. Core · importance 4.1
- Maintain logs, reports, work requests, or other records of work performed in hydroelectric plants. Core · importance 4.0
- Connect metal parts or components in hydroelectric plants by welding, soldering, riveting, tapping, bolting, bonding, or screwing. Core · importance 4.0
- Lift and move loads, using cranes, hoists, and rigging, to install or repair hydroelectric system equipment or infrastructure. Core · importance 4.0
- Perform tunnel or field inspections of hydroelectric plant facilities or resources. Core · importance 4.0
- Splice or terminate cables or electrical wiring in hydroelectric plants. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Test and repair or replace electrical equipment, such as circuit breakers, station batteries, cable trays, conduits, or control devices. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Take readings and record data, such as water levels, temperatures, or flow rates. Core · importance 3.9
- Erect scaffolds, platforms, or hoisting frames to access hydroelectric plant machinery or infrastructure for repair or replacement. Core · importance 3.5
- Cut, bend, or shape metal for applications in hydroelectric plants, using equipment such as hydraulic benders or pipe threaders. Core · importance 3.2
Work activities
- Diagnose equipment malfunctions.
- Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
- Operate energy production equipment.
- Exchange information with colleagues.
- Inspect sustainable energy production facilities or equipment.
- Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems.
- Install mechanical components in production equipment.
- Record operational or production data.
- Maintain sustainable energy production equipment.
- Operate pumping systems or equipment.
- Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
- Repair production equipment or tools.
- Lubricate production equipment.
- Solder parts or workpieces.
- Operate welding equipment.
- Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
- Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
- Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment.
- Clean work areas.
- Connect supply lines to production equipment or tools.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Mechanical | 4.9 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 4.3 | |
| Mathematics | 4.3 | |
| Engineering and Technology | 4.1 | |
| Education and Training | 4.0 | |
| Design | 3.9 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.9 | |
| English Language | 3.9 | |
| Physics | 3.8 | |
| Building and Construction | 3.8 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.6 | |
| Production and Processing | 3.6 | |
| Law and Government | 3.5 | |
| Transportation | 3.4 | |
| Administrative | 3.3 | |
| Telecommunications | 3.3 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Active Listening | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
Transferable skills
| Operations Monitoring | 3.9 | |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.9 | |
| Operation and Control | 3.8 | |
| Repairing | 3.5 | |
| Troubleshooting | 3.4 |
Abilities
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.9 | |
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.8 | |
| Control Precision | 3.8 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.6 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.5 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.5 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.4 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.4 | |
| Visualization | 3.4 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.4 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Far Vision | 3.3 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 34.0% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 34.0% | |
| Some College Courses | 22.4% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 6.9% | |
| High School Diploma | 2.8% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 4.7 | |
| Investigative | 3.3 | |
| Enterprising | 1.8 | |
| Social | 1.2 | |
| Artistic | 1.0 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $59,930 |
| 25th percentile | $77,400 |
| Median (50th) | $99,670 |
| 75th percentile | $111,980 |
| 90th percentile | $128,760 |
| People employed | 30,720 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 51-8013), not for the specialty alone.
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities · Sector | 21,490 | $102,950 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 11,860 | $103,640 |
| Hydroelectric Power Generation · National industry | 1,620 | $95,150 |
| Biomass Electric Power Generation · National industry | 950 | $63,470 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 950 | $77,560 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 770 | $71,470 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 770 | $61,960 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 730 | $78,530 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 590 | $78,530 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 460 | $64,370 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 420 | $107,870 |
| Wind Electric Power Generation · National industry | 410 | $75,600 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Biomass Electric Power Generation · National industry | 2591.38× | 950 |
| Geothermal Electric Power Generation · National industry | 2247.35× | 300 |
| Hydroelectric Power Generation · National industry | 1188.73× | 1,620 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 834.99× | 11,860 |
| Other Electric Power Generation · National industry | 359.53× | 250 |
| Wind Electric Power Generation · National industry | 207.23× | 410 |
| Utilities · Sector | 186.15× | 21,490 |
| Solar Electric Power Generation · National industry | 82.75× | 230 |
Related occupations
Part of the Energy & Natural Resources career cluster.
- Hydroelectric Production Managers · 11-3051.06 Compare →
- Power Plant Operators · 51-8013.00 Compare →
- Geothermal Technicians · 49-9099.01 Compare →
- Wind Turbine Service Technicians · 49-9081.00 Compare →
- Biomass Plant Technicians · 51-8013.03 Compare →
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators · 51-8021.00 Compare →
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators · 51-8031.00 Compare →
- Gas Plant Operators · 51-8092.00 Compare →
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General · 49-9071.00 Compare →
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers · 51-8012.00 Compare →
- Geothermal Production Managers · 11-3051.02 Compare →
- Biomass Power Plant Managers · 11-3051.04 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Hydroelectric Plant Technicians — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 51st percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Hydroelectric Plant Technicians show 21st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,500 annual U.S. openings
- Hydroelectric Plant Technicians rank in the 21st percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 2,500 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be declining (-11.2%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $99,670, across about 30,720 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Hydroelectric Plant Technicians show 21st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,500 annual U.S. openings • Hydroelectric Plant Technicians rank in the 21st percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 2,500 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be declining (-11.2%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $99,670, across about 30,720 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Hydroelectric Plant Technicians". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8013-04 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Hydroelectric Plant Technicians." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8013-04
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Hydroelectric Plant Technicians. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8013-04
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-51-8013-04,
title = {Hydroelectric Plant Technicians},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8013-04}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.