Biomass Plant Technicians
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-8013.03
Control and monitor biomass plant activities and perform maintenance as needed.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.026
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.28
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only18 rated tasks · 4 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (22.2%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Tasks of O*NET-SOC 2010 occupation 51-8099.03 Biomass Plant Technicians, linked to this occupation by the O*NET-SOC 2010 to 2019 crosswalk
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Calibrate liquid flow devices or meters, including fuel, chemical, and water meters.51-8099.03 | 0.0018100.0 |
| Not observed on any surface — 15 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states. | |
Measure and monitor raw biomass feedstock, including wood, waste, or refuse materials. | —0 |
Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust production of biofuels or biomass-fueled power. | —0 |
Perform routine maintenance or make minor repairs to mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment in biomass plants. | —0 |
Inspect biomass power plant or processing equipment, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems. | —0 |
Operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions. | —0 |
Operate equipment to start, stop, or regulate biomass-fueled generators, generator units, boilers, engines, or auxiliary systems. | —0 |
Record or report operational data such as readings on meters, instruments, and gauges. | —0 |
Clean work areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations. | —0 |
Read and interpret instruction manuals or technical drawings related to biomass-fueled power or biofuels production equipment or processes. | —0 |
Assess quality of biomass feedstock. | —0 |
Calculate, measure, load, or mix biomass feedstock for power generation. | —0 |
Operate equipment to heat biomass, using knowledge of controls, combustion, and firing mechanisms. | —0 |
Operate high-pressure steam boiler or water chiller equipment for electrical cogeneration operations. | —0 |
Preprocess feedstock to prepare for biochemical or thermochemical production processes. | —0 |
Manage parts and supply inventories for biomass plants. | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Read and interpret instruction manuals or technical drawings related to biomass-fueled power or biofuels production equipment or processes.O*NET Task ID 17869 | 1.0 |
Assess quality of biomass feedstock.O*NET Task ID 17857 | 0.5 |
Record or report operational data, such as readings on meters, instruments, and gauges.O*NET Task ID 17866 | 0.5 |
Manage parts and supply inventories for biomass plants.O*NET Task ID 17868 | 0.5 |
Measure and monitor raw biomass feedstock, including wood, waste, or refuse materials.O*NET Task ID 17854 | 0.0 |
Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust production of biofuels or biomass-fueled power.O*NET Task ID 17855 | 0.0 |
Perform routine maintenance or make minor repairs to mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment in biomass plants.O*NET Task ID 17856 | 0.0 |
Calculate, measure, load, or mix biomass feedstock for power generation.O*NET Task ID 17858 | 0.0 |
Calibrate liquid flow devices or meters, including fuel, chemical, and water meters.O*NET Task ID 17859 | 0.0 |
Inspect biomass power plant or processing equipment, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems.O*NET Task ID 17860 | 0.0 |
Operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions.O*NET Task ID 17861 | 0.0 |
Operate equipment to heat biomass, using knowledge of controls, combustion, and firing mechanisms.O*NET Task ID 17862 | 0.0 |
Operate equipment to start, stop, or regulate biomass-fueled generators, generator units, boilers, engines, or auxiliary systems.O*NET Task ID 17863 | 0.0 |
Operate high-pressure steam boiler or water chiller equipment for electrical cogeneration operations.O*NET Task ID 17864 | 0.0 |
Preprocess feedstock to prepare for biochemical or thermochemical production processes.O*NET Task ID 17865 | 0.0 |
Clean work areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations.O*NET Task ID 17867 | 0.0 |
Perform tests of water chemistry in boilers.O*NET Task ID 21208 | 0.0 |
Operate heavy equipment, such as bulldozers and front-end loaders.O*NET Task ID 21209 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (18)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Measure and monitor raw biomass feedstock, including wood, waste, or refuse materials. | Core |
| Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust production of biofuels or biomass-fueled power. | Core |
| Perform routine maintenance or make minor repairs to mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment in biomass plants. | Core |
| Assess quality of biomass feedstock. | Core |
| Calculate, measure, load, or mix biomass feedstock for power generation. | Core |
| Calibrate liquid flow devices or meters, including fuel, chemical, and water meters. | Core |
| Inspect biomass power plant or processing equipment, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems. | Core |
| Operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions. | Core |
| Operate equipment to heat biomass, using knowledge of controls, combustion, and firing mechanisms. | Core |
| Operate equipment to start, stop, or regulate biomass-fueled generators, generator units, boilers, engines, or auxiliary systems. | Core |
| Operate high-pressure steam boiler or water chiller equipment for electrical cogeneration operations. | Core |
| Record or report operational data, such as readings on meters, instruments, and gauges. | Core |
| Clean work areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations. | Core |
| Read and interpret instruction manuals or technical drawings related to biomass-fueled power or biofuels production equipment or processes. | Core |
| Perform tests of water chemistry in boilers. | Core |
| Operate heavy equipment, such as bulldozers and front-end loaders. | Core |
| Preprocess feedstock to prepare for biochemical or thermochemical production processes. | Supplemental |
| Manage parts and supply inventories for biomass plants. | Supplemental |
1.34/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Measure and monitor raw biomass feedstock, including wood, waste, or refuse materials. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust production of biofuels or biomass-fueled power. | E2 structured facilities |
| Perform routine maintenance or make minor repairs to mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment in biomass plants. | E0 none |
| Assess quality of biomass feedstock. | E2 structured facilities |
| Calculate, measure, load, or mix biomass feedstock for power generation. | E2 structured facilities |
| Calibrate liquid flow devices or meters, including fuel, chemical, and water meters. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Inspect biomass power plant or processing equipment, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate equipment to heat biomass, using knowledge of controls, combustion, and firing mechanisms. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate equipment to start, stop, or regulate biomass-fueled generators, generator units, boilers, engines, or auxiliary systems. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate high-pressure steam boiler or water chiller equipment for electrical cogeneration operations. | E2 structured facilities |
| Clean work areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations. | E0 none |
| Perform tests of water chemistry in boilers. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate heavy equipment, such as bulldozers and front-end loaders. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Preprocess feedstock to prepare for biochemical or thermochemical production processes. | E2 structured facilities |
| Manage parts and supply inventories for biomass plants. | E2 structured facilities |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
Values for the whole SOC 51-8013 group (Power plant operators), not for this O*NET occupation alone.
- Employment, 2025
- 30K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 28K
- Change (2025–35)
- -5.1%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $102,040
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 86109 | 그 외 발전 및 배전 장치 조작원 | This occupation is narrower | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 3131Power Production Plant Operators
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Power production plant operators operate, monitor and maintain switchboards and related equipment in electrical control centres which control the production and distribution of electrical or other power in transmission networks. The equipment operated includes reactors, turbines, generators and other auxiliary equipment in electrical power generating stations.
Tasks
- (a) operating, monitoring and inspecting various types of energy generating power plants;
- (b) operating and controlling power generating systems and equipment including boilers, turbines, generators, condensers, and reactors in hydro, thermal, coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power plants to generate and distribute electrical power;
- (c) controlling start-up and shut-down of power plant equipment, controlling switching operations, regulating water levels and communicating with systems operators to regulate and coordinate transmission loads, frequency and line voltages;
- (d) taking readings from charts, meters and gauges at established intervals, troubleshooting and performing corrective action as necessary;
- (e) completing and maintaining station records, logs and reports, and communicating with other plant personnel to assess equipment operating status;
- (f) cleaning and maintaining equipment such as generators, boilers, turbines, pumps, and compressors in order to prevent equipment failure or deterioration.
Example occupations
Distribution control operator · Electric power plant operator · Generating station operator · Hydroelectric power plant operator · Nuclear power plant operator · Solar power plant operator
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- biogas technicianESCO 3133.1.2Same scope
Biogas technicians work in the derivation of gas from organic matter and produced as landfill gas or digested gas. They operate equipment in biogas plants, perform tests and maintenance tasks, and take action in the event of a failure.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| H2701 | Technicien / Technicienne d'exploitation en production d'énergie thermique | This occupation is narrower |
| K2325 | Technicien / Technicienne d'exploitation méthanisation | Related, not a match |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 3131 | Técnicos en instalaciones de producción de energía | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 8192 | Operadores de calderas y máquinas de vapor | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 26232 | Berufe in der Energie- und Kraftwerkstechnik - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
| 26242 | Berufe in der regenerativen Energietechnik - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 641 | 発電員，変電員 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 642 | ボイラー・オペレーター | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources