How to become a power production plant operator

Official title: Power production plant operators

Also called: Distribution control operator, Electric power plant operator, Generating station operator, Hydroelectric power plant operator, Nuclear power plant operator, Power system operator, Solar power plant operator

Power production plant operators operate, monitor and maintain switchboards and related equipment in electrical control centres which control the production and distribution of electrical or other power in transmission networks. The equipment operated includes reactors, turbines, generators and other auxiliary equipment in electrical power-generating stations.

Main tasks

• Operating, monitoring and inspecting various types of energy-generating power plants
• Operating and controlling power-generating systems and equipment including boilers, turbines, generators, condensers and reactors in hydro, thermal, coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants to generate and distribute electrical power
• Controlling start-up and shut-down of power plant equipment, controlling switching operations, regulating water levels and communicating with systems operators to regulate and coordinate transmission loads, frequency and line voltages
• Taking readings from charts, meters and gauges at established intervals, troubleshooting and performing corrective action as necessary
• Completing and maintaining station records, logs and reports, and communicating with other plant personnel to assess equipment operating status
• Cleaning and maintaining equipment such as generators, boilers, turbines, pumps and compressors in order to prevent equipment failure or deterioration

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
• About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Metal production process controllers
• Chemical processing plant controllers
• Process control technicians not elsewhere classified
• Incinerator and water treatment plant operators
• Petroleum and natural gas refining plant operators

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a power production plant operator?

Not always. 41% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a power production plant operator?

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

Sources

• Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), 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

Updated 4 October 2026