# Hydroelectric Plant Technicians

> 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.

- **SOC code:** 51-8013.04
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-51-8013-04
- **Also known as:** 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
- **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):
- Monitor hydroelectric power plant equipment operation and performance, adjusting to performance specifications, as necessary.
- Identify or address malfunctions of hydroelectric plant operational equipment, such as generators, transformers, or turbines.
- Start, adjust, or stop generating units, operating valves, gates, or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric power generating plants.
- Perform preventive or corrective containment or cleanup measures in hydroelectric plants to prevent environmental contamination.
- Communicate status of hydroelectric operating equipment to dispatchers or supervisors.
- Inspect water-powered electric generators or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric plants to verify proper operation or to determine maintenance or repair needs.
- Operate high voltage switches or related devices in hydropower stations.
- Operate hydroelectric plant equipment, such as turbines, pumps, valves, gates, fans, electric control boards, or battery banks.
- 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.
- Implement load or switching orders in hydroelectric plants, in accordance with specifications or instructions.
- 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.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Public Safety and Security _(knowledge)_
- Mathematics _(knowledge)_
- Engineering and Technology _(knowledge)_
- Education and Training _(knowledge)_
- Design _(knowledge)_
- Computers and Electronics _(knowledge)_
- English Language _(knowledge)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Equipment Maintenance _(transferable_skill)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Mathematics _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Equipment Maintenance _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Physics _(Specialized Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Telecommunications _(Specialized Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- Distributed control system DCS
- IBM Lotus Notes
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Web browser software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 21st 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):** 14th percentile (Low) — 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.

## 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/
- **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-51-8013-04_