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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Hydroelectric Plant Technicians?
Task-level automation exposure for Hydroelectric Plant Technicians: 21 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
24%
weighted task index
21 of 21 tasks scored
Median Salary
$102,040 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
29,320 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-5.1%
employment change
2,300 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 51 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$61,230 – $131,620
Highest medians
Washington $131,620
Nevada $131,400
New Jersey $131,370
Idaho $124,440
North Dakota $122,160
Lowest medians
Guam $61,230
Wisconsin $66,080
Puerto Rico $70,640
Virginia $73,640
Vermont $78,240
State figures come from the 51-8013 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 24%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 64%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 5%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 10%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 36/100
Moderate
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
21 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 10%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 11%
2 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 79%
17 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#17912 · Core · 25% automatable
Monitor hydroelectric power plant equipment operation and performance, adjusting to performance specifications, as necessary.
visual inspection — Physical product flaw monitoring is on-machine
Monitor equipment operation to ensure that products are not flawed.
#17911 · Core · 42% automatable
Identify or address malfunctions of hydroelectric plant operational equipment, such as generators, transformers, or turbines.
decision support — Diagnosis aided; physical inspection required
Diagnose equipment malfunctions.
#17913 · Core · 20% automatable
Start, adjust, or stop generating units, operating valves, gates, or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric power generating plants.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment.
#17929 · Core · 5% automatable
Perform preventive or corrective containment or cleanup measures in hydroelectric plants to prevent environmental contamination.
physical manipulation — Hands-on cleaning of work areas
Clean work areas.
#17916 · Core · 15% automatable
Inspect water-powered electric generators or auxiliary equipment in hydroelectric plants to verify proper operation or to determine maintenance or repair needs.
visual inspection — On-site inspection of energy facilities requires presence
Inspect sustainable energy production facilities or equipment.
#17914 · Core · 55% automatable
Communicate status of hydroelectric operating equipment to dispatchers or supervisors.
interpersonal — Colleague information exchange is relational, contextual
Exchange information with colleagues.
#17920 · Core · 20% automatable
Operate high voltage switches or related devices in hydropower stations.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment.
#17921 · Core · 18% automatable
Operate hydroelectric plant equipment, such as turbines, pumps, valves, gates, fans, electric control boards, or battery banks.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate pumping systems or equipment. Operate energy production equipment.
#17919 · Core · 8% automatable
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.
physical manipulation — Hands-on sustainable energy equipment maintenance
Maintain sustainable energy production equipment.
#17915 · Core · 20% automatable
Implement load or switching orders in hydroelectric plants, in accordance with specifications or instructions.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment.
#17917 · Core · 5% automatable
Install or calibrate electrical or mechanical equipment, such as motors, engines, switchboards, relays, switch gears, meters, pumps, hydraulics, or flood channels.
physical manipulation — Physical component installation
Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems. Install mechanical components in production equipment.
#17924 · Core · 9% automatable
Change oil, hydraulic fluid, or other lubricants to maintain condition of hydroelectric plant equipment.
physical manipulation — Manual lubrication of production equipment
Maintain sustainable energy production equipment. Lubricate production equipment.
#17918 · Core · 82% automatable
Maintain logs, reports, work requests, or other records of work performed in hydroelectric plants.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#17925 · Core · 6% automatable
Connect metal parts or components in hydroelectric plants by welding, soldering, riveting, tapping, bolting, bonding, or screwing.
physical manipulation — Soldering requires fine manual dexterity
Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems. Solder parts or workpieces. Operate welding equipment.
#17928 · Core · 10% automatable
Lift and move loads, using cranes, hoists, and rigging, to install or repair hydroelectric system equipment or infrastructure.
physical manipulation — Rigging and lifting loads with cranes is hands-on
Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment.
#17930 · Core · 15% automatable
Perform tunnel or field inspections of hydroelectric plant facilities or resources.
visual inspection — On-site inspection of energy facilities requires presence
Inspect sustainable energy production facilities or equipment.
#17931 · Core · 10% automatable
Splice or terminate cables or electrical wiring in hydroelectric plants.
physical manipulation — Connecting supply lines is physical fitting
Connect supply lines to production equipment or tools.
#17923 · Core · 19% automatable
Test and repair or replace electrical equipment, such as circuit breakers, station batteries, cable trays, conduits, or control devices.
data analysis — Electrical testing requires hands-on instrument use
Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning. Repair production equipment or tools.
#17922 · Core · 82% automatable
Take readings and record data, such as water levels, temperatures, or flow rates.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#17927 · Core · 10% automatable
Erect scaffolds, platforms, or hoisting frames to access hydroelectric plant machinery or infrastructure for repair or replacement.
physical manipulation — Erecting temporary structures requires physical assembly
Assemble temporary equipment or structures.
#17926 · Core · 8% automatable
Cut, bend, or shape metal for applications in hydroelectric plants, using equipment such as hydraulic benders or pipe threaders.
physical manipulation — Hands-on industrial material cutting
Cut industrial materials in preparation for fabrication or processing.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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