Hydro Plant Technician

Ameren • Lake Ozark, MO

5d • $61 • Onsite

About The Position

Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years, and our electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the quality of life for our 1.2 million electric and 132,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. Our service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities including the greater St. Louis area.

Requirements

• General range of power plant operation, electrical, mechanical and control systems work.
• Ability to work alone or under indirect supervision.
• Ability to work on a rotating shift or day schedule as required.
• Immediate responsibility at times for the working direction of an apprentice or trainee.
• Ability to work from schematics, other drawings, and sketches.
• Ability to use portable tools and instruments including but not limited to voltmeters, ammeter, phase meter, ohmmeter, megger, strobe lights, tachometer, fluke, oscilloscope, lap top computer, etc.
• Ability to troubleshoot energized electrical and control systems.
• Ability to install electrical instruments, controls, conduit, wiring, hangers, supports, boxes, breakers, motors, and motor controls.
• Ability to make special or routine inspections of circuit breakers, exciters, elevators, batteries, battery trucks, lighting, alarms, instrumentation, PLCs, motors and starters, electric welders, air conditioners, and other power plant electrical equipment and controls.
• Ability to check to ensure that equipment to be worked on has been properly isolated and protected.
• Ability to take steps to ensure that proper safety devices are in use and understood before work starts on energized equipment.
• Ability to obtain required materials from storeroom.
• Ability to perform labor and porter type work.
• Ability to set up rigging and operate lifting equipment.
• Ability to erect and work from scaffolds.
• Ability to operate and/or use mobile equipment, shop equipment, portable power tools, hand tools and test equipment as required to accomplish assigned jobs.
• Ability to prepare reports of work done accompanied by sketches, if necessary; complete such forms or input data into a computer as may be required.
• Ability to work alone or in combination with other classifications when assigned.
• Ability to inspect, repair, and maintain all types of mechanical equipment such as piping, valves, governors, pumps, compressors, bearings, cranes, hydraulic controls, and similar equipment.
• Ability to make and repair tools and parts.
• Ability to operate metal lathe, pipethreader, drill press, and other shop equipment as required.
• Ability to operate equipment such as dump truck, tractor, forklift, etc.
• Ability to metal spray and repair pitted turbine blades.
• Ability to repair and adjust bearings of various types.
• Ability to perform mechanical work in connection with maintenance of generators, turbines, exciters, transformers, and circuit breakers.
• Ability to repair and clean oil lines and tanks, and filter lubricating oil.
• Ability to raise and lower head gates to turbine units and gates on dam.
• Ability to maintain and operate electric and other powered cranes.
• Ability to maintain and operate electric rail locomotive and cars, and repair railroad track as required.
• Ability to maintain air compressors, pumps, and air, water, oil and steam heating lines.
• Ability to operate and maintain air system on dam for limiting ice pressures on gates of dam.
• Ability to remove driftwood in gate room and forebay.
• Ability to make repairs to gates of dam.
• Ability to perform building maintenance work.
• Ability to maintain and operate miscellaneous gasoline and diesel engine powered equipment and boats.
• Ability to repair and maintain small engines and marine engines.
• Ability to maintain and operate plant steam heating boiler and sewage treatment facility.
• Ability to perform pipefitting and carpentry work as required.
• Ability to operate acetylene, electric arc or other welding/heating/cutting torches.
• Ability to check for explosive gases before operating torches when necessary.
• Ability to paint, paper, make alterations in, and repair company facilities.
• Ability to perform repair work on boats.
• Ability to repair furniture, doors, and locks.
• Ability to sand blast and paint head and crest gates.
• Ability to clean and paint penstocks and draft tubes.
• Ability to use spray-painting equipment in painting penstocks, head gates, crest gates, transformers, gantry cranes, houses and other buildings where spray methods are applicable.
• Ability to paint, by brush method, doors, windows, floors, walls, furniture and boats.
• Ability to replace main unit thrust and guide bearings.
• Ability to clean high voltage insulators and bus supports in plant, and clean high voltage insulators and bus supports from machine to lines.
• Ability to operate power wood band saw and circular saw.
• Ability to drive truck or car, conveying materials, tools, and men from job to job.
• Ability to perform similar and less skilled work as assigned.
• Qualification standards as established in the Hydro Operations Agreement.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodations.

Nice To Haves

• Immediate responsibility at times for the working direction of an apprentice or trainee.

Responsibilities

• Operating the main electrical control system of the Hydro generating stations and associated substations, together with their auxiliary equipment.
• Starting, stopping, loading and unloading various items of electrical equipment in accordance with directions from the Power and Transmission Dispatcher's offices.
• Performing or directing switching and other corrective operations in the event of emergency conditions affecting the Plant or Sub Stations.
• Monitoring remote indications and displays of operating equipment and initiating actions in response to abnormal conditions.
• Initiating emergency response procedures.
• Calibrating and adjusting transmitters and transducers.
• Troubleshooting using programmable logic controllers (PLC).
• Using the SCADA system.
• Controlling, monitoring, loading and unloading main and house generator units and associated auxiliary equipment.
• Controlling, monitoring, starting and stopping various plant equipment and systems.
• Monitoring, starting and stopping Hydro Units and keeping Management informed of any irregular conditions.
• Performing automatic or manual synchronization of generators and lines.
• Writing switching orders and issuing protection for WPA on all equipment of the assigned unit.
• Performing switching, or directing others to perform switching, on all equipment of the assigned unit.
• Controlling system voltage as directed by the Transmission Dispatcher.
• Accurately and legibly recording all required operating data.
• Making regular and special inspections of operating equipment.
• Recording and resetting relay targets in the event of automatic trip-out of equipment.
• Compiling special operating data, and taking special readings as required.
• Maintaining all required logbooks and forms.
• Performing general housekeeping throughout the plant.
• Directing efforts to restore service and equipment in emergencies in the absence of supervision.
• Maintaining proper oil levels in bearings and governor oil tanks.
• Correcting, or reporting for correction, any faulty operation of equipment.
• Operating pumps, compressors, unwatering valves, and oil, water, grease and air valves as needed or required.
• Inspecting and refilling first aid kits and supplies.
• Taking water samples.
• Activating the fire suppression systems when needed.
• Monitoring and maintaining proper record keeping for lake and river elevations.
• Working from schematics, other drawings, and sketches.
• Using portable tools and instruments including but not limited to voltmeters, ammeter, phase meter, ohmmeter, megger, strobe lights, tachometer, fluke, oscilloscope, lap top computer, etc.
• Troubleshooting energized electrical and control systems.
• Installing electrical instruments, controls, conduit, wiring, hangers, supports, boxes, breakers, motors, and motor controls.
• Making special or routine inspections of circuit breakers, exciters, elevators, batteries, battery trucks, lighting, alarms, instrumentation, PLCs, motors and starters, electric welders, air conditioners, and other power plant electrical equipment and controls.
• Checking to ensure that equipment to be worked on has been properly isolated and protected.
• Taking steps to ensure that proper safety devices are in use and understood before work starts on energized equipment.
• Obtaining required materials from storeroom.
• Performing labor and porter type work.
• Setting up rigging and operating lifting equipment.
• Erecting and working from scaffolds.
• Operating and/or using mobile equipment, shop equipment, portable power tools, hand tools and test equipment as required to accomplish assigned jobs.
• Preparing reports of work done accompanied by sketches, if necessary; completing such forms or inputting data into a computer as may be required.
• Working alone or in combination with other classifications when assigned.
• Inspecting, repairing, and maintaining all types of mechanical equipment such as piping, valves, governors, pumps, compressors, bearings, cranes, hydraulic controls, and similar equipment.
• Making and repairing tools and parts.
• Operating metal lathe, pipethreader, drill press, and other shop equipment as required.
• Operating equipment such as dump truck, tractor, forklift, etc.
• Metal spraying and repairing pitted turbine blades.
• Repairing and adjusting bearings of various types.
• Performing mechanical work in connection with maintenance of generators, turbines, exciters, transformers, and circuit breakers.
• Repairing and cleaning oil lines and tanks, and filtering lubricating oil.
• Raising and lowering head gates to turbine units and gates on dam.
• Maintaining and operating electric and other powered cranes.
• Maintaining and operating electric rail locomotive and cars, and repairing railroad track as required.
• Maintaining air compressors, pumps, and air, water, oil and steam heating lines.
• Operating and maintaining air system on dam for limiting ice pressures on gates of dam.
• Removing driftwood in gate room and forebay.
• Making repairs to gates of dam.
• Performing building maintenance work.
• Maintaining and operating miscellaneous gasoline and diesel engine powered equipment and boats.
• Repairing and maintaining small engines and marine engines.
• Maintaining and operating plant steam heating boiler and sewage treatment facility.
• Performing pipefitting and carpentry work as required.
• Operating acetylene, electric arc or other welding/heating/cutting torches.
• Checking for explosive gases before operating torches when necessary.
• Painting, papering, making alterations in, and repairing company facilities.
• Performing repair work on boats.
• Repairing furniture, doors, and locks.
• Sand blasting and painting head and crest gates.
• Cleaning and painting penstocks and draft tubes.
• Using spray-painting equipment in painting penstocks, head gates, crest gates, transformers, gantry cranes, houses and other buildings where spray methods are applicable.
• Painting, by brush method, doors, windows, floors, walls, furniture and boats.
• Replacing main unit thrust and guide bearings.
• Cleaning high voltage insulators and bus supports in plant, and cleaning high voltage insulators and bus supports from machine to lines.
• Operating power wood band saw and circular saw.
• Driving truck or car, conveying materials, tools, and men from job to job.
• Performing similar and less skilled work as assigned.
• In absence of supervision, directing efforts in the implementation of Emergency Action Plans, Spill Control and Countermeasure Plans, and fire fighting.
• Initiating contact with and call out of personnel to respond to operating conditions or emergencies at assigned and other plants.
• Ensuring operating stability of service to the extent of the effect that the Generating Station may have on the total system operation.
• Initiating measures to restore or maintain service in emergencies involving electrical failures, exercising judgment as to remedial measures and the operation of the station and associated substations with only general principles and standard practice as a guide.
• Preventing costly damage that would result in the case of faulty operating sequence for the assigned group of station control equipment.
• Detecting incipient damage to equipment.
• Segregating defective apparatus quickly and accurately or applying available reserves in order to utilize the special effect of the Plants in maintaining system balance in emergencies.
• Ensuring care and accuracy in all switching and synchronizing operations.
• Ensuring safety of others, on control of WPA for work on apparatus.
• Blackstarting the Main and House Generators.
• Carrying out prescribed safety precautions and safeguards for the protection of self and others.
• Observing and ensuring that those temporarily under his direction observe safety instructions issued or applicable.
• Performing work without disturbing other equipment.
• Executing orders quickly and properly.
• Ensuring accuracy of work within required tolerances or specifications.
• Exercising special care and watchfulness to avoid errors in the repair and assembly of equipment.
• Ensuring proper use and care of a wide variety of tools, materials and equipment.
• Disposition of surplus and scrap materials after each job and keeping areas where work is performed clean and orderly to maintain an atmosphere conducive to good work practices and safety.
• Receiving and issuing reports on generating schedules, lake and river conditions including notification to the public and property owners below the dam when spill gates are first opened.
• Exchanging routine information with other Plant employees and employees of other departments, as well as arrangements for carrying load, switching operations and reports and requests covering operating data.

Benefits

• Annual incentive payments based on company performance and subject to sole management discretion.
• Benefits and perks provided to regular full-time employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed