Plant Operator

NRG•Denver City, TX

19d•Onsite

About The Position

The Plant Operator provides operations support to a power plant, ensuring equipment operations are supported by accurate and current data. The role takes readings, performs calculations, and operates and monitors equipment outside the control room under the direction of the Lead Operator or Control Room Operator. The position operates, inspects, and monitors power plant equipment safely, efficiently, reliably, and in an environmentally sound manner. The operator follows safety procedures, learns operating procedures, observes operating conditions, interprets instrument readings to troubleshoot equipment, records operational data in shift logs, and routinely cleans the work area. The employee must arrange their own transportation and may be reassigned to another company location. Work takes place in a power plant, both indoors and outdoors and in all temperatures and climate conditions. The operator must be prepared for 12-hour rotating shifts and emergency callouts at any time, seven days a week. Duties may involve noisy areas, rotating and energized electrical equipment, confined spaces, and work at heights. The role also requires responding promptly to crises and potentially hazardous situations.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Three years of experience in a power plant environment, oilfield, or equivalent education and industrial experience.
Drive and commitment to continue through the Operator training program, including Control Room Operator qualifications.
Valid state driver’s license.
Basic knowledge or ability to understand principles of physics, mathematics, AC and DC electrical theory, heat transfer and fluid flow, thermodynamics, chemistry, and metallurgy.
Knowledge of power plant safety, including chemical handling, high-energy systems, confined spaces, incipient fire suppression, first aid, rotating machinery, and heavy equipment operations.
Knowledge of power plant system operations and basic principles used in daily decision-making and work tasks.
Knowledge of switches and valves and the effects of their operation on the generating station.
Ability to handle multiple tasks or assignments simultaneously.
Ability to perform basic arithmetic calculations for flow, pressure, and meter readings.
Ability to read and interpret blueprints, schematic diagrams, procedures, and technical manuals.
Ability to operate switches and valves and communicate equipment conditions.
Ability to discern and respond to verbal and auditory signals and discern assorted colors.
Ability to record and analyze readings from electrical and mechanical meters.
Ability to work without supervision while carrying out duties.
Ability to operate company vehicles and equipment, such as a forklift or plant vehicle, and maintain operating licenses and certifications; TDL is required.
Ability to use basic computer applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, and email, and operate computer systems to receive, analyze, comprehend, and input data.
Ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing and work successfully in a team environment.
Ability to climb stairways and ladders and work from aerial devices.
Ability to perform work involving walking, standing, sitting, kneeling, crouching, squatting, twisting, pushing, pulling, shoveling, climbing, and using hand tools weighing up to 25 pounds in positions above and below the head and extended from the body.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Process Technology or a related field.
Knowledge of power plant equipment and systems, including motors, pumps, boilers, turbines, generators, fluid systems, chemical handling, water treatment systems, cooling towers, pollution control equipment, and AC and DC electrical distribution and control systems.

Responsibilities

Operate, inspect, and monitor power plant equipment safely, efficiently, reliably, and in an environmentally sound manner.
Follow safety guidelines to protect oneself, coworkers, and the public, and recognize safety hazards.
Learn and follow proper operating procedures.
Observe operating conditions and interpret meter and gauge readings to troubleshoot equipment and resolve operational problems.
Monitor and record data from instruments, recording charts, annunciator systems, and other monitoring devices in shift logs as directed by plant procedures.
Perform routine cleaning of the work area.
Take readings and perform calculations related to power plant equipment operations.
Operate and monitor plant equipment outside the control room under the direction of the Lead Operator or Control Room Operator.
Perform equipment checks, including preventive maintenance checks, on running and idle equipment.
Apply Tag Out/Lock Out procedures to equipment.
Perform routine laboratory tests and analyses on samples from power-generation processes.
Generate work notifications for equipment repairs.
Communicate plant system and equipment conditions to others.
Operate company vehicles and equipment and maintain required operating licenses and certifications.