Community Sentiment
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Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Power Plant Operators?
Task-level automation exposure for Power Plant Operators: 30 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
30%
weighted task index
30 of 30 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 30%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 58%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 7%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 7%
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 70/100
High
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
30 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) 13%
4 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 22%
6 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 66%
20 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
#12328 · Core · 20% automatable
Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment.
#12318 · Core · 15% automatable
Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance
Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance.
#12316 · Core · 20% automatable
Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment.
#12319 · Core · 18% automatable
Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate pumping systems or equipment. Operate energy production equipment.
#12314 · Core · 38% automatable
Monitor power plant equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems.
visual inspection — Malfunction detection relies on live physical observation
Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
#19914 · Core · 14% automatable
Operate or maintain distributed power generation equipment, including fuel cells or microturbines, to produce energy on-site for manufacturing or other commercial purposes.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment. Maintain sustainable energy production equipment.
#12325 · Core · 20% automatable
Open and close valves and switches in sequence to start or shut down auxiliary units.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment.
#12321 · Core · 18% automatable
Control or maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, or chlorinators, to supply water, fuel, lubricants, air, or auxiliary power.
physical manipulation — Hands-on energy distribution equipment operation
Operate pumping systems or equipment. Operate energy distribution equipment.
#12317 · Core · 15% automatable
Regulate equipment operations and conditions, such as water levels, based on instrument data or from computers.
physical manipulation — Hands-on adjustment of liquid flow controls
Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids.
#12320 · Core · 55% automatable
Inspect records or log book entries or communicate with plant personnel to assess equipment operating status.
interpersonal — Colleague information exchange is relational, contextual
Exchange information with colleagues.
#12322 · Core · 8% automatable
Clean, lubricate, or maintain equipment, such as generators, turbines, pumps, or compressors, to prevent failure or deterioration.
physical manipulation — Physical production equipment maintenance
Clean production equipment. Maintain production or processing equipment. Lubricate production equipment.
#12324 · Core · 82% automatable
Record and compile operational data by completing and maintaining forms, logs, or reports.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#12327 · Core · 10% automatable
Make adjustments or minor repairs, such as tightening leaking gland or pipe joints.
physical manipulation — Hands-on repair of production machinery
Repair production equipment or tools.
#12315 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Adjust controls to generate specified electrical power or to regulate the flow of power between generating stations and substations.
physical manipulation — Hands-on energy distribution equipment operation
Operate energy distribution equipment.
#19915 · Supplemental · 15% automatable
Operate, control, or monitor equipment, such as acid or gas carbon dioxide removal units, carbon dioxide compressors, or pipelines, to capture, store, or transport carbon dioxide exhaust.
physical manipulation — Pumping systems operated and adjusted in field
Operate pumping systems or equipment.
#19916 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Operate, control, or monitor gasifiers or related equipment, such as coolers, water quenches, water gas shifts reactors, or sulfur recovery units, to produce syngas or electricity from coal.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment.
#12323 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Communicate with systems operators to regulate and coordinate line voltages and transmission loads and frequencies.
interpersonal — Colleague information exchange is relational, contextual
Exchange information with colleagues.
#19917 · Supplemental · 20% automatable
Operate, control, or monitor integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) or related equipment, such as air separation units, to generate electricity from coal.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate energy production equipment.
#12330 · Supplemental · 65% automatable
Receive outage calls and request necessary personnel during power outages or emergencies.
text generation — Notifying maintenance needs is routine messaging
Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
#12326 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Collect oil, water, or electrolyte samples for laboratory analysis.
physical manipulation — Manual product sampling
Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
#12331 · Supplemental · 28% automatable
Examine and test electrical power distribution machinery and equipment, using testing devices.
data analysis — Electrical testing requires hands-on instrument use
Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
#12329 · Supplemental · 28% automatable
Place standby emergency electrical generators on line in emergencies and monitor the temperature, output, and lubrication of the system.
visual inspection — Sensor/vision monitoring possible, but physical verification and accountability remain human
Monitor lubrication of equipment or workpieces. Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
#23612 · Core · 20% automatable
Analyze the layout, instrumentation, or function of electrical generation or transmission facilities.
visual inspection — Equipment/system inspection requires physical presence
Inspect equipment or systems.
#23613 · Core · 45% automatable
Diagnose or troubleshoot problems with gas collection systems.
decision support — Troubleshooting aided; hands-on diagnosis human
Troubleshoot equipment or systems operation problems.
#23614 · Core · 38% automatable
Monitor well fields periodically to ensure proper functioning and performance.
data analysis — Sensor data monitoring aided; physical site checks remain human
Monitor conditions at energy-producing landfills.
#23615 · Core · 20% automatable
Operate landfill gas, methane, or natural gas fueled electrical generation systems.
physical manipulation — Physical operation of gas generation equipment
Operate natural gas generation equipment.
#23616 · Core · 82% automatable
Prepare and submit compliance, operational, and safety forms or reports.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#23617 · Core · 10% automatable
Repair or replace gas piping.
physical manipulation — Hands-on removal and fitting of worn components
Replace worn equipment components.
#23618 · Core · 60% automatable
Trace electrical circuitry to ensure compliance of electrical systems with applicable codes or laws.
data analysis — Equipment specs analysis aided; physical testing human
Evaluate characteristics of equipment or systems.
#23619 · Core · 45% automatable
Verify that well field monitoring data conforms to applicable regulations.
decision support — Conformance checking aided by AI, but on-site verification is human
Monitor operational procedures in technical environments to ensure conformance to standards.
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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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