Power Plant Operator
Power plant operators control and monitor boilers, turbines, generators, and auxiliary equipment in
power-generating plants. Operators distribute power demands among generators, combine the current from
several generators, and monitor instruments to maintain voltage and regulate electricity flows from the
plant. When power requirements change, these workers start or stop generators and connect or disconnect
them from circuits. They often use computers to keep records of switching operations and loads on
generators, lines, and transformers. Operators also may use computers to prepare reports of unusual
incidents, malfunctioning equipment, or maintenance performed during their shift.
Operators in plants with automated control systems work mainly in a central control room and usually are
called control room operators and control room operator trainees or assistants. In older plants, the
controls for the equipment are not centralized, and switchboard operators control the flow of electricity
from a central point, whereas auxiliary equipment operators work throughout the plant, operating and
monitoring valves, switches, and gauges.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licenses operators of nuclear power plants. Reactor operators are
authorized to control equipment that affects the power of the reactor in a nuclear power plant. In
addition, an NRC-licensed senior reactor operator must be on duty during each shift to act as the plant
supervisor and supervise the operation of all controls in the control room.
Power distributors and dispatchers, also called load dispatchers or systems operators, control the flow
of electricity through transmission lines to industrial plants and substations that supply residential
electric needs. They monitor and operate current converters, voltage transformers, and circuit breakers.
Dispatchers also monitor other distribution equipment and record readings at a pilot board—a map of the
transmission grid system showing the status of transmission circuits and connections with substations and
industrial plants.
Dispatchers also anticipate power needs, such as those caused by changes in the weather. They call control
room operators to start or stop boilers and generators, to bring production into balance with needs.
Dispatchers handle emergencies such as transformer or transmission line failures and route current around
affected areas. In substations, they also operate and monitor equipment that increases or decreases
voltage, and they operate switchboard levers to control the flow of electricity in and out of the
substations.
Because electricity is provided around the clock, operators, distributors, and dispatchers usually
work one of three daily 8-hour shifts or one of two 12-hour shifts on a rotating basis. Shift assignments
may change periodically, so that all operators can share duty on less desirable shifts. Work on rotating
shifts can be stressful and fatiguing, because of the constant change in living and sleeping patterns.
Operators, distributors, and dispatchers who work in control rooms generally sit or stand at a control
station. This work is not physically strenuous, but it does require constant attention. Operators who
work outside the control room may be exposed to danger from electric shock, falls, and burns
Source: http://stats.bls.gov/home.htm
