92100 Power engineers and power systems operators

What this occupation covers

Power engineers operate and maintain reactors, turbines, boilers, generators, stationary engines and auxiliary equipment to generate electrical power and to provide heat, light, refrigeration and other utility services for commercial, institutional and industrial buildings and other work sites. Power systems operators monitor and operate switchboards and related equipment in electrical control centres to control the distribution of electrical power in transmission networks. They are employed by power generation plants, electrical power utilities, manufacturing plants, hospitals, universities and government and commercial establishments. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 14 main duties for this code.

• Operate automated or computerized control systems, stationary engines and auxiliary equipment such as reactors, boilers, turbines, generators, pumps, compressors, pollution control devices and other equipment to generate electrical power and to provide light, heat, ventilation and refrigeration for buildings, industrial plants and other work sites
• Start up and shut down power plant equipment, control switching operations, regulate water levels and communicate with systems operators to regulate and coordinate transmission loads, frequency and line voltages
• Monitor and inspect plant equipment, computer terminals, switches, valves, gauges, alarms, meters and other instruments to measure temperature, pressure and fuel flow to detect leaks or other equipment malfunctions and to ensure plant equipment is operating at maximum efficiency
• Analyze and record instrument readings and equipment malfunctions
• Troubleshoot and perform corrective action and minor repairs to prevent equipment or system failure
• Respond to emergency situations if required
• Clean and lubricate generators, turbines, pumps and compressors and perform other routine equipment maintenance duties using appropriate lubricants and hand, power and precision tools
• Maintain a daily log of operation, maintenance and safety activities, and write reports on plant operation and non-compliance
• May assist in the development of operation, maintenance and safety procedures.
• Operate and monitor computerized switchboards and auxiliary equipment in electrical control centres to control the distribution and to regulate the flow of electrical power in the transmission network
• Co-ordinate, schedule and direct generating station and substation power loads and line voltages to meet distribution demands during daily operations, system outages, repairs and importing or exporting of power
• Monitor and visually inspect station instruments, meters and alarms to ensure transmission voltages and line loadings are within prescribed limits and to detect equipment failure, line disturbances and outages
• Issue work and test permits to electrical and mechanical maintenance personnel, assist maintenance and technical personnel to locate and isolate system problems, and assist during routine system testing
• Complete and maintain station records, logs and reports.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 3 of its 14 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 72400 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
• 92011 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities

Excluded from this code

• Civil and mechanical engineers (See 2130 Civil and mechanical engineers)
• Electrical, electronics and computer engineers (See 2131 Electrical, electronics and computer engineers)
• Manufacturing and processing engineers (See 2132 Manufacturing and processing engineers)
• Nuclear power station equipment mechanic (See 72400 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics)
• Other engineers (See 2139 Other engineers)
• Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities (See 92011 Supervisors, petroleum, gas and chemical processing and utilities)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

air compressor operator · air conditioning system operator · apprentice power dispatcher · apprentice power dispatcher - electrical power systems · apprentice power engineer · apprentice stationary engineer · area dispatch chief operator · area dispatch chief operator - electrical power systems · area load centre dispatcher · automated substation operator - electrical power systems · auxiliary equipment operator · auxiliary plant operator · biomass plant technician · boiler operator · boilerhouse operator · building systems operator · building systems technician · central control room operator - electrical power systems · central-office power control room operator - electrical power systems · control room operator - electrical power systems · control room operator trainee - electrical power systems · conversion substation operator - electrical power systems · cooling system operator · diesel generating station operator - electrical power systems

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Power engineers require a college training program in power engineering and several years of work experience. An exam is mandatory to move from one class to the other.
• Power engineers require a provincial or territorial power engineering certificate according to class. There are five classes in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia while there are four classes in Newfoundland/Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut territories.
• Power systems operators require completion of a three- to five-year power system operator apprenticeship program or over three years of work experience in the trade and some college or industry courses in electrical and electronic technology.
• Trade certification is available, but voluntary for power systems operators in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Trade certification is available, but voluntary for power engineers in Nova Scotia.
• Control room operators at nuclear power plants require licensing from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.