Will AI replace Hydroelectric Plant Technicians?
AI reaches little of this job’s work.
8/100
Low exposure
More exposed to AI than 15% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 0% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 15% of the work
What the job involves
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.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Within reach(3)
- Communicate status of hydroelectric operating equipment to dispatchers or supervisors.
- Maintain logs, reports, work requests, or other records of work performed in hydroelectric plants.
- Take readings and record data, such as water levels, temperatures, or flow rates.
Out of reach(18)
- Inspect water-powered electric generators or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric plants to verify proper operation or to determine maintenance or repair needs.
- 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.
- Operate hydroelectric plant equipment, such as turbines, pumps, valves, gates, fans, electric control boards, or battery banks.
- Perform preventive or corrective containment or cleanup measures in hydroelectric plants to prevent environmental contamination.
and 13 more
Also called
Hydroelectric Plant Electrician · Hydroelectric Plant Operator · Hydroelectric Plant Technician (Hydroelectric Plant Tech) · Hydroelectric Plant Tech · Hydro Plant Technician (Hydro Plant Tech) · Hydro Technician (Hydro Tech) · Hydroelectric Mechanic · Hydroelectric Operations and Maintenance Technician (Hydro O and M Technician)
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What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics