Power Distributors and Dispatchers

What the job really is

Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.

At a glance

• Sector: Production
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-8012
• O*NET job zone: 3 — medium preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Coordinate with engineers, planners, field personnel, or other utility workers to provide information such as clearances, switching orders, or distribution process changes.
• Respond to emergencies, such as transformer or transmission line failures, and route current around affected areas.
• Control, monitor, or operate equipment that regulates or distributes electricity or steam, using data obtained from instruments or computers.
• Direct personnel engaged in controlling or operating distribution equipment or machinery, such as instructing control room operators to start boilers or generators.
• Distribute or regulate the flow of power between entities, such as generating stations, substations, distribution lines, or users, keeping track of the status of circuits or connections.
• Manipulate controls to adjust or activate power distribution equipment or machines.
• Prepare switching orders that will isolate work areas without causing power outages, referring to drawings of power systems.
• Monitor and record switchboard or control board readings to ensure that electrical or steam distribution equipment is operating properly.
• Implement energy schedules, including real-time transmission reservations or schedules.
• Calculate load estimates or equipment requirements to determine required control settings.
• Track conditions that could affect power needs, such as changes in the weather, and adjust equipment to meet any anticipated changes.
• Record and compile operational data, such as chart or meter readings, power demands, or usage and operating times, using transmission system maps.

Tools and technology

Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, SAP software, ABB MicroSCADA Pro DMS, ABB MicroSCADA Pro SYS, ABB PSGuard, Catapult Software iPower SCADA, Distribution automation system software

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Power Plant Operators
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
• Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
• Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
• Gas Plant Operators
• Geothermal Technicians
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 3 (medium preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Power Distributors and Dispatchers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.