Power plant operator vs plant control operator

The differences between power plant operators and plant control operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a plant control operator has an average salary of $49,393, which is higher than the $49,204 average annual salary of a power plant operator.

The top three skills for a power plant operator include plant equipment, steam boilers and auxiliary equipment. The most important skills for a plant control operator are control room, plant operations, and financial analysis.

Power plant operator vs plant control operator overview

	Power Plant Operator	Plant Control Operator
Yearly salary	$49,204	$49,393
Hourly rate	$23.66	$23.75
Growth rate	-15%	-15%
Number of jobs	40,719	64,591
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Power plant operator vs plant control operator salary

Power plant operators and plant control operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Power Plant Operator	Plant Control Operator
Average salary	$49,204	$49,393
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $67,000	Between $36,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Orange County Sanitation District	-
Best paying industry	Utilities	-

Differences between power plant operator and plant control operator education

There are a few differences between a power plant operator and a plant control operator in terms of educational background:

	Power Plant Operator	Plant Control Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Power plant operator vs plant control operator demographics

Here are the differences between power plant operators' and plant control operators' demographics:

	Power Plant Operator	Plant Control Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 94.9% Female, 5.1%	Male, 86.0% Female, 14.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 1.5% White, 77.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 1.5% White, 77.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between power plant operator and plant control operator duties and responsibilities

Power plant operator example responsibilities.

Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
Process operator in the powerhouse.
Develop and assist regional groups with desk operating procedures for NERC compliance standards.
Control and maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors and condensers.
Perform various aspects of preventive maintenance and troubleshooting on HVAC systems; 300 to 1500 tons.
Repair and perform complete rebuilds on various valves, actuators, pumps, compressors, large fans, gearboxes etc.

Plant control operator example responsibilities.

Coordinate and manage annual physical inventory as well as inventory valuation in accordance with Canadian GAAP.
Implement Sarbanes-Oxley compliance with no significant gaps.
Administer compliance of Sarbanes-Oxley requirements at plant level.
Lead operations finance team to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting and costing consistent with internal policy and SOX requirements.
Lead operations finance team to ensure timely and accurate financial reporting and costing consistent with internal policy and SOX requirements.

Power plant operator vs plant control operator skills

Common power plant operator skills

Plant Equipment, 9%
Steam Boilers, 8%
Auxiliary Equipment, 7%
Plant Operations, 5%
Cooling Towers, 5%
Condensers, 5%

Common plant control operator skills

Control Room, 19%
Plant Operations, 14%
Financial Analysis, 9%
Financial Performance, 7%
ERP, 6%
Gas Plant, 5%

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Power Plant Operator
Power Plant Operator vs Plant Control Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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