hydropower engineer
Hydropower engineers research, design and plan the building of facilities that generate electricity from the movement of water. They search optimal locations, conduct trials and try different materials to achieve the best result. Hydropower engineers develop strategies for more efficient energy production and analyse environmental consequences.
hydropower engineer hydropower engineers research, design and plan the building of facilities that generate electricity from the movement of water. They search optimal locations, conduct trials and try different materials to achieve the best result. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include energy transformation, engineering principles, CAM software, hydroelectricity, electronics principles.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £51,366 a year for Civil engineers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £39,802 to £65,000 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2121). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only hydropower engineer, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mechanical
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Engineering and Technology
- Computers and Electronics
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Education and Training
What you'd actually do
- Direct operations, maintenance, or repair of hydroelectric power facilities.
- Identify and communicate power system emergencies.
- Maintain records of hydroelectric facility operations, maintenance, or repairs.
- Perform or direct preventive or corrective containment or cleanup to protect the environment.
- Monitor or inspect hydroelectric equipment, such as hydro-turbines, generators, or control systems.
- Inspect hydroelectric facilities, including switchyards, control houses, or relay houses, for normal operation or adherence to safety standards.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does hydropower engineer do?
Hydropower engineers research, design and plan the building of facilities that generate electricity from the movement of water. They search optimal locations, conduct trials and try different materials to achieve the best result. Hydropower engineers develop strategies for more efficient energy production and analyse environmental consequences.
What skills does hydropower engineer need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include energy transformation, engineering principles, CAM software, hydroelectricity, electronics principles, technical drawings. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace hydropower engineer?
Our AI-durability model gives hydropower engineer a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.