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Life As a Gas Plant Operator
Career Description Distribute or process gas for utility companies and others by controlling compressors to maintain specified pressures on main pipelines.
Gas Plant Operator Responsibilities
- Signal or direct workers who tend auxiliary equipment.
- Monitor transportation and storage of flammable and other potentially dangerous products to ensure that safety guidelines are followed.
- Distribute or process gas for utility companies or industrial plants, using panel boards, control boards, and semi-automatic equipment.
- Control equipment to regulate flow and pressure of gas to feedlines of boilers, furnaces, and related steam-generating or heating equipment.
- Determine causes of abnormal pressure variances, and make corrective recommendations, such as installation of pipes to relieve overloading.
- Change charts in recording meters.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Gas Plant Operator?
Below is a list of the skills most Gas Plant Operators say are important on the job.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Related Job Titles
- Dispatcher
- Field Gauger
- Compressor Station Operator
- Water Gas Operator
- Pressure Dispatcher
Is There Job Demand for Gas Plant Operators?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 17,300 jobs in the United States for Gas Plant Operator. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Gas Plant Operator. There will be an estimated 1,700 positions for Gas Plant Operator per year.
The states with the most job growth for Gas Plant Operator are Washington, Wyoming, and North Dakota. Watch out if you plan on working in Delaware, Wisconsin, or Kentucky. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Gas Plant Operators Salary
The average yearly salary of a Gas Plant Operator ranges between $45,830 and $100,410.
Gas Plant Operators who work in California, Massachusetts, or North Dakota, make the highest salaries.
How much do Gas Plant Operators make in each U.S. state?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $70,950 |
| Alaska | $63,430 |
| Arizona | $62,000 |
| Arkansas | $66,620 |
| California | $101,610 |
| Colorado | $70,260 |
| Florida | $50,660 |
| Georgia | $59,900 |
| Illinois | $74,590 |
| Indiana | $68,580 |
| Iowa | $54,440 |
| Kansas | $67,660 |
| Kentucky | $68,240 |
| Louisiana | $68,370 |
| Maryland | $81,460 |
| Massachusetts | $85,470 |
| Michigan | $76,690 |
| Minnesota | $72,810 |
| Mississippi | $60,460 |
| Missouri | $73,370 |
| Montana | $70,400 |
| Nebraska | $61,120 |
| New Hampshire | $69,370 |
| New Jersey | $75,150 |
| New Mexico | $61,910 |
| New York | $77,460 |
| North Carolina | $61,280 |
| North Dakota | $85,740 |
| Ohio | $68,680 |
| Oklahoma | $64,560 |
| Oregon | $75,560 |
| Pennsylvania | $67,210 |
| South Carolina | $53,070 |
| Tennessee | $56,170 |
| Texas | $68,690 |
| Utah | $68,550 |
| Virginia | $63,950 |
| Washington | $82,790 |
| West Virginia | $70,730 |
| Wyoming | $73,870 |
What Tools & Technology do Gas Plant Operators Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Gas Plant Operators may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- SAP
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Work scheduling software
How to Become a Gas Plant Operator
What education is needed to be a Gas Plant Operator?
What work experience do I need to become a Gas Plant Operator?
Where Gas Plant Operators Work
Gas Plant Operators work in the following industries:
You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Gas Plant Operator might also be interested in the following careers:
Career changers with experience as a Gas Plant Operator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.