Electric Power Engineers and Technicians Green occupation

How to become a Power Generation Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 发电工程技术人员

Plans and designs power stations, develops generating equipment, and guides its operation, maintenance and upgrading.

Main tasks

Researching and drawing up power station plans and estimating investment
Surveying and designing power stations
Researching and testing automation technology for power generation
Researching and applying maintenance technology for generating equipment
Analysing whether generating equipment runs safely and economically
Drawing system and equipment working drawings and writing equipment operating manuals
Giving technical oversight of generating equipment in operation
Analysing and solving technical problems in installing, commissioning, running, maintaining and upgrading equipment, and guiding frontline staff

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Electrical Engineering (0806); Energy and Power Engineering (0805); majors such as Electrical Engineering and Automation, New Energy Science and Engineering, Smart Grid Information Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Intelligent Control, Energy and Power Engineering, Energy and Environment Systems Engineering. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Distributed Generation and Smart Microgrid Technology (430104). Vocational major 430104 Distributed Generation and Smart Microgrid Technology (分布式发电与智能微电网技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Photovoltaic Power Station Operation and Maintenance; Substation and Distribution Operation and Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Electricity Saving Technology and Management (430306). Vocational major 430306 Electricity Saving Technology and Management (节电技术与管理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: User Side Microgrid Engineering Applications; New Energy Charging Facility Installation and Maintenance; Substation and Distribution Operation and Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Hydropower Station Equipment Installation and Management (450301). Vocational major 450301 Hydropower Station Equipment Installation and Management (水电站设备安装与管理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Substation and Distribution Operation and Maintenance; Substation Primary Equipment Installation; Smart Water Plant Operation and Control.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Hydropower Station Operation and Intelligent Management (450302). Vocational major 450302 Hydropower Station Operation and Intelligent Management (水电站运行与智能管理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Substation and Distribution Operation and Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Photovoltaic Engineering Technology (430301). Vocational major 430301 Photovoltaic Engineering Technology (光伏工程技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Photovoltaic Power Station Operation and Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Power Supply and Utilisation Technology (430108). Vocational major 430108 Power Supply and Utilisation Technology (供用电技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Intelligent Power Distribution Integration and Maintenance.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Solar Thermal Technology and Applications (430204). Vocational major 430204 Solar Thermal Technology and Applications (太阳能光热技术与应用), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Substation and Distribution Operation and Maintenance.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Transmission and Distribution Line Construction and Operation (630104). Vocational major 630104 Transmission and Distribution Line Construction and Operation (输配电线路施工与运行), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Distribution Line Operation and Maintenance; Transmission Line Construction and Maintenance; Power Cable Installation and Maintenance.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥184,163 a year (2025), middle half CN¥107,702 to CN¥250,575.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Power Generation Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Distributed Generation and Smart Microgrid Technology (430104); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Electricity Saving Technology and Management (430306).

How much does a Power Generation Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥184,163 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Power Generation Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation, National Bureau of Statistics: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China, 2022 edition (public consultation draft) (2022 public consultation draft (1,636 occupations; final edition 1,639)), retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026