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Power operators (O*NET-SOC 51-8011.00, Nuclear Power Reactor Operators) operate or control nuclear reactors from nuclear power plant main control rooms: moving control rods and regulating reactivity and power under standard procedures, monitoring coolant temperature and flow, and starting and stopping equipment; monitoring plant-wide operating parameters, recording operating data and performing periodic tests; determining causes of abnormalities and recommending or taking corrective action; implementing lockout, tagging and isolation to support maintenance; responding to accident conditions under emergency operating procedures; and participating in authorization and supervision of nuclear fuel handling, radiation monitoring and sampling. This page uses only official sources to explain occupational scope, tasks, Chinese and US qualification and authorization boundaries, and wage and employment statistical definitions.
One-sentence assessment | This career is worth exploring further only if you are willing to maintain long-term watch in a facility's main control room, follow procedures for parameter monitoring, control operations and records, determine causes before responding to abnormalities as expected, and accept operator licensing and facility training constraints. Attraction to the words "nuclear power plant" or "high pay" alone is insufficient.
Core output | Connect operating parameter records, periodic test results, control actions and responses, abnormalities and corrective measures, maintenance isolations and permits, and emergency response records into a traceable operating file: reviewable operating logs, test records and deviation reports, rather than merely stating that operation is normal.
Power operators (O*NET-SOC 51-8011.00, Nuclear Power Reactor Operators) operate or control nuclear reactors from nuclear power plant main control rooms. They follow policies and procedures to protect workers from radiation and ensure environmental safety; adjust control rod positions under standard procedures to regulate reactivity, reactor period, coolant temperature or power change rates; monitor all plant systems and examine instrument readings to assess output or effects on other equipment; record operating data such as surveillance test results and execute startup and shutdown procedures; diagnose system or unit abnormalities and recommend or take corrective action; implement lockout, tagging and isolation for safe maintenance; direct operators under emergency procedures when needed; and supervise technicians' procedural work.
Distinguish power operators from nuclear technicians, nonreactor power plant operators, instrumentation and control and electrical maintenance personnel, and radiation protection roles by primary work objects, control authority and authorization boundaries, rather than job title similarity.
Comparisons in this table derive from official O*NET 51-8011.00 tasks and official occupational descriptions and regulatory systems for adjacent occupations. Operator licenses and facility role authorization are prerequisites for main control room operation. Verify training, assessments and retraining separately for different reactor types and facilities.
Beginners hoping to start with tools
Use public textbooks and simulated data to practice parameter trend identification, unit conversions and operating log formats. Treat tools as practice and revision assistants, without replacing procedural judgments or safety conclusions.
The US occupational identity is 51-8011.00 Nuclear Power Reactor Operators. This review did not obtain an official one-to-one mapping to Chinese occupational classifications. Chinese content describes actual nuclear power plant control system activities and current operator licensing, rather than determining qualifications from a US code.
Definition comparison | The National Bureau of Statistics publishes average wages of employees in urban units by industry section, without listing power operators or reactor operators separately. This page uses only electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply averages as a reference, explicitly labeled as industry-section figures.
The 2025 BLS OEWS data displayed by O*NET report a median annual wage of USD 122,890 and median hourly wage of USD 59.08 for the exact occupation 51-8011.00. These figures are not starting salaries or individual quoted rates.
The value is a national median annual wage position, not a starting salary, individual quoted rate or individual income commitment.
The 25th—75th percentiles likewise come from the 2025 BLS OEWS national survey and cannot be directly compared with a single facility's or company's compensation conditions.
Scope statement | This checklist cannot replace nuclear power plant operating procedures, technical specifications, emergency operating procedures, quality assurance systems or operator licensing. Main risks include incorrect parameter trend judgments or delayed responses, control actions deviating from procedures, improper equipment isolation and maintenance permits, incomplete operating records, failed radiation and contamination control, and actions beyond license and role authorization. Controls should be tailored to unit status, facility procedures and regulatory requirements.
Direct answer | Main risks include incorrect interpretation of abnormal signs or delayed responses, control actions deviating from procedures or exceeding license scope, maintenance risks from improper equipment isolation and work permits, incomplete operating records and test data, and emergency direction and communication errors. Controls depend on procedural discipline, periodic testing and supervision, simulator retraining and requalification, clear reporting and escalation chains, and complete operating records.
Skill development should begin with supervised learning of facility systems, procedures and technical specifications. After obtaining licensure and role authorization, independently undertake operating shifts, then abnormality handling and emergency direction, and finally operations management, training and procedure improvement. Each step requires training and assessments, operating shift hours, health conditions and facility role authorization. Senior operator licensing typically requires at least two years as an operator and prescribed operating shift hours.
Study reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, electrical systems and instrumentation and control, and radiation protection through guided and simulator training. Practice parameter trend identification and procedural execution and assist with inspections and records, without independently operating control systems.
BLS exact occupation 51-8011: approximately 5,200 employed in 2025 and 4,900 in 2035, change of -5.9% over 2025—2035, and 400 average annual openings. Openings include replacement and are not live recruitment or individual hiring probabilities. The details page's 2025 industry shares are Utilities77% and Government12%, with the remainder totaling approximately 11%.
Nationwide United States. O*NET reports the exact occupation 51-8011.00.
According to O*NET 51-8011.00, core work includes operating nuclear power reactors under policies and procedures to protect personnel and the environment; adjusting control rod positions to regulate reactivity, reactor period, coolant temperature or power change rates; monitoring all plant systems, examining instrument readings and recording operating data such as surveillance tests; executing startup and shutdown procedures; diagnosing system or unit abnormalities and recommending or taking corrective action; implementing lockout, tagging and isolation to support maintenance; directing operators under emergency operating procedures when needed; and supervising technicians following radiation safety procedures and participating in air, water, gas or solid sample collection and testing.
Nuclear technicians more often handle equipment and process operation, commissioning and maintenance, with radiation monitoring and contamination control as one component. Instrumentation and control, electrical and mechanical maintenance personnel repair and commission equipment without main control room system operating authorization. This occupation's core authority is operating nuclear facility control systems and directing operating shifts during abnormal and emergency conditions, separately governed by operator licensing and facility role authorization. These three directions are not interchangeable.
20—120-minute safe trial | Conduct an off-site exercise with fictional main control room parameter trends, including power, coolant temperature and flow, and rod position. For 4 fictional parameter changes, write expected responses, procedural steps to check and three stop conditions requiring immediate supervisor reporting, then draft a one-sentence three-way communication following reading—judgment—report—action—review. Use only fictional data. Do not use this for real reactor control, operate any control system or bypass facility training.
First hurdle | Verify authorization boundaries first: who may operate main control room systems, approve equipment isolation and maintenance, and decide power reductions or reactor shutdown during abnormalities. NRC licenses personnel who operate or supervise control of commercial nuclear power reactors in the United States. Chinese civilian nuclear facility operators must hold Operator Licenses or Senior Operator Licenses. Nuclear power plant operators require associate-level education or higher and successful training and assessments. Licenses are valid for five years and require timely renewal applications.
Work takes place almost entirely inside nuclear power plant main control rooms. O*NET shows 100% daily face-to-face discussions, 99% daily controlled indoor work, 97% daily telephone use and 88% daily email use. Teamwork is extremely important to 89%, and 69% maintain constant contact with others.
Responsibility and pressure are routine: O*NET shows 91% rating accuracy extremely important, 82% reporting extremely serious error consequences, 66% holding extremely high responsibility for others' health and safety, and 72% reporting decisions as very important to coworkers' or organizational outcomes. Meanwhile, 71% make decisions daily, 61% face daily time pressure, and 70% work more than 40 hours per week. Schedules are regular for 81% and irregular for 19%, associated with refueling outages, unit status and shift rotations.
Shifts and status changes determine the daily rhythm. Operating shifts typically rotate, while refueling outages, unit startup and shutdown and periodic tests may bring temporary overtime and additional coordination. Deliverables are continuous operating records and completed abnormality responses, rather than one-off outputs.
The emphasis is on connecting parameter trends with expected responses: linking readings, trends, procedural steps, expected responses and deviation handling, and immediately reporting to supervisors and taking corrective or shutdown actions under procedures when outcomes exceed expectations.
O*NET's interest code is RC (Realistic, Conventional). Work styles emphasize perseverance, stress tolerance, self-control, achievement orientation, caution, integrity, attention to detail and dependability. Abilities emphasize problem sensitivity, information ordering, oral and written comprehension and expression, deductive reasoning, auditory sensitivity, mathematical reasoning and time sharing. Job Zone 3 (SVP 6.0 to <7.0), with education survey results of 50% high school diplomas or equivalent, 16% college certificates and 15% bachelor's degrees. These dimensions describe activity preferences and work requirements, not hiring standards, competence assessment conclusions or judgments of career destiny.
The daily workflow involves confirming unit status and procedural applicability, reading and comparing parameter trends, performing procedural actions or tests, recording and reviewing, and reporting and escalating abnormalities. Operators control systems within their authorization, do not independently change operating limits or technical specifications, and do not replace maintenance, radiation protection or regulatory judgments.
The table compares this occupation and adjacent directions using the same dimensions: primary work objects, core outputs, key differences and selection signals. Comparisons support career exploration and do not imply mutual recognition of qualifications, automatic job transfers or hiring commitments.
Nuclear technicians more often handle equipment and process operation, commissioning and maintenance, with radiation monitoring and contamination control as one component. This occupation's core authority is operating nuclear facility control systems and directing operating shifts during abnormal and emergency conditions, separately governed by operator licensing and facility role authorization.
Choose this occupation if you are willing to maintain long-term main control room watch, repeatedly compare parameter trends under procedures and bear control decision responsibility. If you prefer hands-on equipment repair, system commissioning and fault handling, consider instrumentation and control, electrical or mechanical maintenance and separately verify their education and licensing pathways.
Practicing operating shift personnel
Use tools for operating log organization, test data checks and procedure searches. Retain original records, parameter snapshots and review signatures; everything entering formal operating records must be traceable to original data.
Define which tool outputs may enter operating and test records and which require human review. Retain version and audit information and file records under the operating organization's quality assurance and training and assessment systems.
First build foundations in reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, electrical systems and instrumentation and control, and radiation protection. Then verify training, licensing assessments and health conditions for the target reactor type and facility. Reading instruments is not equivalent to operator qualifications.
Verifiable reference | In 2025, average annual wages for employees in urban nonprivate units in electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply were RMB 160,897, compared with RMB 66,451 in urban private units in the same industry. Coverage includes legal entities in urban areas with 5 or more employees; individually owned businesses and freelancers are excluded.
This review did not obtain a nationwide Chinese wage distribution or occupational percentiles for this occupation. Industry averages cannot replace operator wages. Verify Chinese Operator / Senior Operator Licenses, facility role authorization, and ongoing health, training and shift conditions separately.
The 10th—90th percentiles reflect the distribution's ends. Lower percentiles are not starting salaries for new graduates, and higher percentiles are not typical of all practitioners.
OEWS surveys wage and salary employees in establishments, excludes self-employment income, and does not reflect night-shift, shift, on-call or refueling outage allowances.
Actual income in nuclear power plant operating roles requires checks of unit status, shift and duty arrangements, license category and role authorization. US figures cannot be converted into individual income in mainland China, and percentile ranges are not job grade sequences.
Key fit signals include sustained procedural discipline and attention, repeated procedural checks, expected responses and escalation during abnormalities, and tolerance for high-consequence decision pressure. Interest codes and work style labels cannot determine fit; return to real tasks and trainer evaluations.
Interest codes and work styles derive from the O*NET 51-8011.00 summary and constitute exploratory evidence. Fit signals and trial designs on this page are editorial syntheses, not selection standards, competence assessments or hiring commitments.
Evidence scope | Risk items derive from O*NET 51-8011.00 tasks and work contexts: 91% rating accuracy extremely important, 82% reporting extremely serious error consequences, 66% holding extremely high responsibility for others' health and safety, 38% daily radiation exposure, and 61% daily time pressure. They also draw on licensing, retraining and role authorization requirements in China's Provisions on Qualification Management of Civilian Nuclear Facility Operating Personnel, the Nuclear Safety Law's requirements for operating organizations' overall responsibility and personnel training and protection, and US NRC operator licensing and requalification oversight. Controls should be tailored to facilities and jurisdictions.
Shifts, prolonged watch, abnormality handling and handoffs all require sustained attention and procedural discipline. This review did not obtain comparative evidence by seniority or fatigue group and cannot claim newcomers are most likely to miss checks. Control risks through facility guidance, shift and review systems.
Possible consequences | Judgment or operating errors may cause unplanned reactor shutdown, equipment damage or unnecessary personnel exposure. Improper isolation and permits may injure maintenance personnel. Missing records impair event analysis and regulatory tracing. Operation beyond license scope constitutes unauthorized operation subject to legal penalties.
Supervised learning stage
Boundary note one | Education, training, licensure, facility role authorization and operating shift qualifications are distinct statuses. Licensure does not automatically confer authorization at other facilities; transfers to facilities not specified on the license require a change application and differences training.
Boundary note two | Operating shift hours are an ongoing condition. Nuclear power plant operators must complete at least 400 operating shift hours every 12 months and at least 150 hours every 6 months; role authorization must be withdrawn if these conditions are not met.
Boundary note three | Health conditions and professional conduct are ongoing obligations. Operators must maintain required health conditions and promptly report alcohol, medication or other circumstances that may affect duties. Concealment or false materials affects license applications.
Boundary note four | Operators do not bear all facility responsibilities. Maintenance, radiation protection, quality assurance and regulation belong to different roles and departments. The operating organization bears overall nuclear safety responsibility, and actions beyond license scope constitute unauthorized operation.
After obtaining licensure and role authorization, independently complete routine operating shifts: read and compare parameter trends, perform procedural actions and periodic tests, and record operating data, explaining the bases for readings, actions and review.
Routine operating shift stage
Participate in abnormality diagnosis and correction, perform power reductions, shutdowns or isolations and direct shifts under emergency operating procedures, and escalate and report to supervisors when responses exceed expectations.
Abnormality and emergency response stage
| Field 1 | Field 2 | Field 3 | Field 4 | Field 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervised learning stage | Learn systems, procedures and parameter trend identification through guided and simulator training | Do not independently operate control systems or issue permits | Training records and simulator evaluations | Obtain licensure and role authorization |
| Routine operating shift stage | Independently complete operating shifts, parameter monitoring and periodic test records | Follow license and facility authorization scope | Operating logs, test records and review signatures | Undertake abnormality diagnosis and corrective actions |
| Abnormality and emergency response stage | Diagnose abnormality causes and perform corrective or shutdown actions under procedures | Responses exceeding expectations require procedural reporting | Event records and response explanations | Undertake emergency direction and shift leadership |
| Shift lead stage | Serve as operating shift lead and direct operators | Requires a senior operator license and prescribed experience | Shift experience and assessment records | Undertake operations management and training |
| Operations management stage | Oversee departmental operations, training and procedure improvement | Perform management duties under facility policies | Management records and supervisory inspection results | Continue developing along facility pathways |
| Field 1 | Field 2 | Field 3 | Field 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parameter trends exceed expected responses | Recheck procedures, report to supervisors and act according to expected responses | Confirmation by the operating shift lead or shift supervisor | Operating logs and deviation explanations |
| Equipment or instrument fault alarms | Verify alarm sources and execute fault response procedures | Joint confirmation by operations and maintenance leads | Alarm records and response forms |
| Equipment isolation and maintenance permits are needed | Personnel with corresponding qualifications and role authority implement lockout, tagging, isolation and permit issuance under procedures | Confirmation by the permit issuer and maintenance lead | Isolation and permit records |
| Emergency or abnormal operating conditions | Perform authorized actions under emergency operating procedures; direction is limited to personnel with corresponding qualifications and authority | Confirmation through the emergency command structure | Event records and emergency reports |
| Field 1 | Field 2 | Field 3 | Field 4 | Field 5 | Field 6 | Field 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relevant professional education or nuclear technology training | Educational foundation for training and licensing pathways | Provided by educational or training institutions | Verify specialty and practical placement requirements | Education is not equivalent to licensure or role authorization | Educational institutions and operating organizations | Verify courses and placement content |
| Operator License (China) | A prerequisite for operating nuclear facility control systems | Approved and issued by the State Council's nuclear safety regulatory authority | Verify education, health, training and assessment conditions | Licensure is not equivalent to role authorization at other facilities | State Council nuclear safety regulatory authority and operating organization | Verify application conditions and validity period |
| Senior Operator License (China) | A prerequisite for operating or directing others to operate control systems | Approved and issued by the State Council's nuclear safety regulatory authority | Verify at least two years of operator experience and operating shift hours | Requires separate change or renewal applications | State Council nuclear safety regulatory authority and operating organization | Verify experience and shift-hour requirements |
| NRC operator license (United States) | A prerequisite for operating or supervising control of commercial nuclear power reactors | Issued by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission | Verify initial licensing examinations and requalification requirements | Licenses are tied to facilities | NRC and operating organizations | Verify license categories and requalification requirements |
| Facility role authorization and operating shift qualifications | Determines eligible shift positions and operating scope | Granted by operating organizations according to licenses and role needs | Verify health conditions, training and operating shift hours | Authorization may be withdrawn when conditions are not met | Operating organization and operations department | Verify role authorization and shift records |
| Refueling outage and specialized work authorization | Determines specialized operations and tests that may be undertaken | Granted by operating organizations according to specialized requirements | Verify specialized training and assessment results | Specialized authorization must not be extrapolated | Operating organization and operations department | Verify specialized training and authorization documents |
Wage and employment base year 2025, projections 2025—2035; industry figures use explicitly labeled 2025 details page data.
Employment is projected to decline, but replacement openings remain. Verify target facilities' unit plans, training places and licensing pathways, without interpreting projections as AI-caused layoffs.
Macroeconomic projections do not guarantee individual hiring. Industry distribution does not establish specific facilities' reactor types, unit status or role authorization. US data cannot be converted into individual income or employment opportunities in mainland China.
The available evidence does not support a replacement conclusion: O*NET provides no generative AI adoption rate for this occupation. Its Hot Technologies list only 9 employer-mentioned software products, without percentages. Parameter trend judgments, control actions, abnormality handling and emergency direction must still be performed by licensed personnel authorized within the facility. Any changes to control or protection systems also require approval under nuclear safety regulations and quality assurance systems.
Organization of operating logs and test data, procedure searches, parameter reports and preliminary trend summaries, initial training material organization, and automated summaries of some surveillance and alarm information. These stages still require verification against original records, parameter snapshots and procedures; tool outputs cannot be entered directly into formal operating records.
Judging whether parameter trends exceed expected responses, deciding power reductions or reactor shutdown, deciding equipment isolation and maintenance permits, directing shifts and authorizing status changes during emergencies, and judging adequacy of radiation and contamination controls. Observable verification includes traceable operating logs, complete test records, procedural deviation reporting, valid licenses and role authorization, and sufficient operating shift hours.
The 2025 BLS OEWS data displayed by O*NET report a median annual wage of USD 122,890 and median hourly wage of USD 59.08 for the exact occupation 51-8011.00, with annual wage percentiles spanning USD 98,640—149,310. The survey excludes self-employment income and does not reflect night-shift, shift, on-call or refueling outage allowances; it does not represent individual take-home income. Mainland China has not published a corresponding national occupational wage distribution; this page shows only 2025 electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply industry-section averages as a reference.
O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3, with SVP 6.0 to <7.0. The education survey reports 50% high school diplomas or equivalent, 16% college certificates and 15% bachelor's degrees, and lists associate and bachelor's program examples in nuclear technology. Chinese nuclear power plant operators require associate-level education or higher and successful training and assessments. US main control room operation also requires NRC licensing examinations and facility training.
Chinese civilian nuclear facility operators must obtain Operator Licenses or Senior Operator Licenses, approved and issued by the State Council's nuclear safety regulatory authority. The State Council's energy authority organizes nuclear power plant licensing training and assessments. Licenses are valid for five years, with renewal applications three months before expiry, and require health conditions and operating shift hours to be met. In the United States, NRC licenses personnel operating or supervising commercial nuclear power reactor controls and regulates initial examinations and oversight of retraining and reexamination.
First use fictional main control room parameter trends to practice expected responses and reporting and assess whether you can accept procedural work, frequent records and high-consequence decisions. Then verify education, training, licensing assessments and health conditions for the target reactor type and facility. The exercise does not establish real operating competence or work eligibility and cannot replace facility training or licensing assessments.
Consider interests, practical circumstances and job characteristics together. This occupation involves high-responsibility main control room watch, high accuracy requirements and serious error consequences: O*NET reports 91% rating accuracy extremely important, 82% reporting extremely serious error consequences, and 66% holding extremely high responsibility for others' health and safety. It requires long-term shifts and continuing retraining. US employment is projected to decline, but average annual openings remain. Next, verify training and licensing pathways, health conditions, operating shifts and role authorization for the target reactor type and facility.
The evidence on this page supports only scope-limited judgments within the specified markets, occupational definitions and periods. It does not establish individual income, hiring or practice authorization. Main control room system operation, equipment isolation and maintenance permits, and authorized decisions on radiation and sampling monitoring must be performed under procedures by appropriately licensed personnel with facility role authorization.
O*NET's custom field combination for this occupation, used to verify consistent descriptions of the occupational code, tasks and work contexts.
O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
US
current page; accessed 2026-09-26
official custom occupation profile
Occupation-specific
Applies only to the listed O*NET occupation and US market; does not establish a mainland Chinese occupational mapping or legal authorization.
2026-09-26
Official definition, 19 tasks (13 Core, 6 Supplemental) and work contexts: 38% daily radiation exposure, 76% daily common protective or safety equipment use, 91% rating accuracy extremely important, 82% reporting extremely serious error consequences, and 66% holding extremely high responsibility for others' health and safety.
O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
US
O*NET 2026 occupational profile; accessed 2026-09-26
official occupation details
Occupation-specific
US occupational scope; contains no mainland Chinese qualification or licensing conclusions.
2026-09-26
Lists 9 employer-mentioned software products: Microsoft Access, Azure, Excel, Office, Power Automate, Power BI, PowerPoint, SharePoint and SQL. The page provides no item percentages.
O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
US
current page; accessed 2026-09-26
official employer technology signal
Occupation-specific
Employer mentions do not establish proficiency, generative AI adoption rates or the extent of automation.
2026-09-26
Industry distribution: Utilities 77%, Government 12%, and other industries, including Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, 11%.
O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
US
O*NET industry distribution; accessed 2026-09-26
official industry distribution
Occupation-specific
Industry distribution does not establish specific facilities' unit types, reactor types or role authorization scope.
2026-09-26
Lists 4 related certifications: the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Nuclear Facility Licensed Operator and industrial certifications from the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers and The Association for Materials Protection and Performance.
O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
US
current page; accessed 2026-09-26
official credential directory
Occupation-specific
Directory entries are not equivalent to licenses, employer authorization or universal requirements; reactor operator licensing is separately managed by regulators.
2026-09-26
The page provides a state or ZIP code search for relevant degrees and certificate programs. O*NET lists Nuclear/Nuclear Power Technology examples, including numbers of associate and bachelor's degree graduates.
O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
US
current page; accessed 2026-09-26
official training program discovery
Occupation-specific
A program list is not equivalent to licensure, facility training or role authorization.
2026-09-26
Median annual wage of USD 122,890 and median hourly wage of USD 59.08; annual wage percentiles of USD 98,640 / 109,440 / 122,890 / 130,490 / 149,310.
O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
US
2025 BLS OEWS wage data; accessed 2026-09-26
official wage statistics
Occupation-specific
OEWS surveys wage and salary employees in establishments, excludes self-employment income and does not reflect night-shift, on-call or refueling outage allowances; it does not represent individual take-home income.
2026-09-26
Interest code RC (Realistic, Conventional); Job Zone 3 (SVP 6.0 to <7.0); education survey: 50% high school diplomas or equivalent, 16% college certificates and 15% bachelor's degrees. Work styles emphasize perseverance, stress tolerance, self-control, achievement orientation, caution, integrity, attention to detail and dependability.
O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
US
O*NET 2026 occupational profile; accessed 2026-09-26
official occupation summary
Occupation-specific
US education and interest definitions; does not establish licensure, facility training or role authorization conclusions.
2026-09-26
Article Three: operating personnel must apply for Operator Licenses or Senior Operator Licenses. An Operator License is required to operate nuclear facility control systems; a Senior Operator License is required to operate or direct others in operating them.
Articles Seven and Eight: Operator Licenses require good health, secondary vocational education or higher, with associate-level education or higher for nuclear power plant operators, and successful training and assessments. Senior Operator Licenses additionally require more than two years as an operator with excellent performance; nuclear power plant applicants must complete at least 1,600 operating shift hours within two years.
Article Fourteen: licenses are valid for five years. Those intending to continue nuclear facility operation after expiry must apply for renewal three months before expiry.
Articles Twenty and Twenty-Three: application assessments include written, oral and practical examinations. Renewal requires retraining and successful renewal assessment; those with qualifying work performance may be exempt from written examinations.
Article Thirty-Two: nuclear power plant operators must complete at least 400 operating shift hours every 12 months and at least 150 every 6 months; otherwise role authorization must be withdrawn.
Ministry of Ecology and Environment and National Development and Reform Commission Order No. 22 (public text from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment)
CN
Promulgated 2021-01-27, effective 2021-07-01; accessed 2026-09-26
departmental regulation
Occupation-specific
Defines operator license applications, training and assessments, renewal and role management. Specific facility training and role authorization remain determined by operating organizations and the State Council's nuclear safety regulatory authority.
2026-09-26
Special nuclear safety personnel include civilian nuclear facility operators, registered nuclear safety engineers, civilian nuclear safety equipment welders and nondestructive examination personnel. Qualification licensing and ongoing and subsequent oversight follow the Nuclear Safety Law, Regulations on Safety Supervision and Administration of Civilian Nuclear Facilities, and Provisions on Qualification Management of Civilian Nuclear Facility Operating Personnel.
Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration)
CN
Current page; accessed 2026-09-26
regulator qualification administration
Occupation-specific
A qualification management resource; specific licensing conditions and assessment requirements follow current rules and assessment standards.
2026-09-26
Article Five: nuclear facility operating organizations bear overall nuclear safety responsibility. Article Eighteen: operating organizations must strictly control radiation exposure, ensure relevant personnel are protected from exposure exceeding national dose limits, and keep exposure as low as reasonably achievable.
Article Twenty: operating organizations must develop training plans, provide nuclear safety education and skills training and assessments for personnel, and provide corresponding occupational protection and health examinations.
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (public text from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment)
CN
Adopted 2017-09-01, effective 2018-01-01; accessed 2026-09-26
national law
Occupation-specific
Defines operating organizations' overall responsibility and personnel training and protection obligations. Specific licensing and role authorization follow rules such as the Provisions on Qualification Management of Civilian Nuclear Facility Operating Personnel.
2026-09-26
NRC licenses personnel who operate or supervise control of commercial nuclear power reactors, regulating initial licensing, including written and operating examinations, and overseeing retraining and reexamination.
The page lists approximately 3,600 active licensed power reactor operators and 350 nonpower reactor operators.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
US
Current page; accessed 2026-09-26
nuclear regulator
Occupation-specific
A regulator information page. Specific license categories, examinations and requalification requirements follow current regulations and license conditions and do not establish Chinese requirements.
2026-09-26
Electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply industry section: RMB 160,897 / year in urban nonprivate units and RMB 66,451 / year in urban private units (2025).
Coverage includes legal entities in urban areas with 5 or more employees, excluding individually owned businesses and freelancers. Industry-section averages do not list this occupation separately.
National Bureau of Statistics
CN
2025 data, released 2026-05-15; accessed 2026-09-26
official industry wage statistics
Industry reference
Industry-section average wages cannot be treated as nuclear power plant operator occupational medians, starting salaries or individual income.
2026-09-26
Annotates each O*NET 51-8011.00 task listed on this page with "tool assistance possible", "human control points" and "no automated release" for task-level analysis.
This rubric is editorial scoring, not an adoption rate, automation probability, job disappearance forecast or regulatory conclusion.
FermatMind
GLOBAL
FermatMind task rubric v2026.09; prepared and reviewed 2026-09-26
internal task rubric
internal_rubric
The internal rubric supports task-level discussion only and does not establish empirical conclusions about individuals, institutions or markets.
2026-09-26
BLS exact occupation 51-8011: approximately 5,200 employed in 2025 and 4,900 in 2035, change of -5.9% over 2025—2035, and 400 average annual openings. Openings include replacement and are not live recruitment or individual hiring probabilities.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
US
2025 employment and 2025—2035 projections
official employment projections
Occupation-specific
Projections are not recruitment volume and do not measure AI causality.
2026-10-11