Hydroelectric Plant Technician

Have you ever been to Hoover Dam and watched the flood of water shoot out? If so, then you’ve seen a hydroelectric plant at work. Hydroelectric plants use water to create electricity. More specifically, the force of the water from a dam or waterfall is utilized to spin a turbine. In turn, the turbine runs a generator, which transforms the energy from the water into electricity.

This is the kind of work environment that Hydroelectric Plant Technicians face every day. As a Hydroelectric Plant Technician, you are a key player in making sure the operation is safe, productive, and efficient.

When you’re dealing with water under high pressure, there’s always the possibility that equipment will blow out or valves will fail. To make sure that doesn’t happen, you keep up to date with safety standards. You install new equipment as needed, perform regular maintenance, and monitor gauges for any signs of a problem.

The hydroelectric plant you work for has quotas that it must reach on an ongoing basis. After all, the energy industry can’t just go on vacation. That means equipment failures are expensive and disastrous events. The responsibility is on your shoulders to make sure the pumps, turbines, and generators run at optimal performance levels.

In order to make all this happen, you go about your daily activities which include welding parts, troubleshooting any warning signs, making adjustments to equipment as required, and recording any work you perform. As a Hydroelectric Plant Technician, you use specialized tools and computer software programs, as well as maintain good communication skills and an acute attention to detail.