Hydroelectric Plant Technicians

There will be slow employment growth in the next few years for hydroelectric plant technicians. Technicians will be needed to replace workers who leave their positions for other opportunities or retire from the field. Hydropower is an important renewable energy resource due to its abundance and its ability to generate electricity inexpensively without harmful emissions. Employment growth is hampered, however, by the lengthy process for licensing hydropower projects. Federal and state agencies must review license requests before approving them, and this is often a slow process, particularly when projects' goals conflict with government regulations.