What interviewers actually evaluate

AES Corporation operations interviews test whether candidates understand how managing power generation and utility operations differs from operations at an industrial manufacturer or a general infrastructure company – where bulk electric system operators must comply with NERC reliability standards that impose mandatory procedures, training certification requirements, and real-time operating protocols because power system failures cascade across interconnected grids in ways that can affect millions of customers and create NERC civil penalty exposure, where renewable energy fleet operations management for utility-scale wind and solar requires predictive maintenance and SCADA-based performance monitoring that differs fundamentally from the thermal plant operations that most power company operations professionals have historically managed, and where coal plant retirement execution requires safe decommissioning procedures, coal ash pond closure under EPA's CCR rule, and workforce transition management that go beyond normal plant shutdown processes. Operations at AES spans bulk electric system operator compliance with NERC standards (where AES's generation operators and transmission operators must maintain NERC certification under PER-005, follow operating procedures that comply with NERC reliability standards for real-time operations, and document compliance evidence for the standards that NERC regional entities audit and enforce), renewable energy fleet operations management (where AES Clean Energy's growing portfolio of wind farms and utility-scale solar installations requires O&M programs that optimize asset availability and performance using SCADA monitoring data, predictive maintenance analytics, and vendor service agreements that balance maintenance cost against generation revenue), coal plant decommissioning and CCR closure (where AES's coal plant retirements require safe removal of generating equipment, closure of coal ash surface impoundments under EPA's CCR rule with groundwater monitoring programs, and site remediation that satisfies state and federal environmental requirements), and international generation operations in emerging markets (where AES's power plants and utility concessions in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East operate with different grid stability conditions, workforce skill profiles, and spare parts supply chain challenges than US operations, requiring operations management adaptations that maintain generation availability in more constrained operating environments).

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What interviewers actually evaluate

NERC Reliability Compliance, Renewable Fleet O&M, and Coal Plant Decommissioning

AES operations interviews probe whether candidates understand how power generation operations differs from general industrial operations in the NERC compliance imperative (operations failures at bulk electric system facilities are not just safety and production issues – they are potential NERC violations with self-reporting obligations and penalty exposure, and operations professionals who manage NERC-registered assets must understand the specific standards that apply to their assets and the documentation requirements that demonstrate compliance, because a generation trip that results from equipment failure may also be a NERC reliability standard violation if the failure resulted from inadequate maintenance that a standard required), the renewable operations paradigm shift (managing a fleet of wind turbines and solar arrays using SCADA data and algorithmic performance monitoring is operationally different from managing thermal generation units where operators interact directly with physical plant systems, and candidates from coal or gas generation backgrounds must demonstrate they understand the data-driven, remote-monitoring model that renewable fleet O&M requires), and the coal ash closure engineering and regulatory complexity (closing a coal ash surface impoundment under EPA's CCR rule requires geotechnical engineering for structural integrity assessment, groundwater monitoring well network operation, corrective action investigation when monitoring detects contamination, and financial assurance documentation that demonstrates AES's ability to complete the closure – a multi-year program that requires operations professionals with environmental remediation management capability).

The international operations challenge requires adaptations to resource-constrained environments where spare parts are harder to source quickly, grid stability conditions are less reliable than US grids, and workforce development requires more investment because the local technical labor market does not have the depth of the US power sector workforce.

What gets scored in every session

Specific, sentence-level feedback.

Dimension	What it measures	How to answer
NERC bulk electric system operator certification and real-time compliance	Do you understand how to manage NERC compliance for AES's bulk electric system generation and transmission assets – how NERC's PER-005 standard requires system operator training and certification for operators in real-time operations roles, what the operating procedure documentation requirements are for NERC-applicable reliability standards including TOP operations and planning standards, and how to manage the situation when a forced generation outage occurs that may constitute a NERC reportable event requiring notification to the NERC regional entity within specified timeframes? We flag operations answers that describe generation operations management as equipment maintenance without engaging with the NERC compliance documentation and reportable event assessment that distinguish operations management at bulk electric system facilities from operations at non-regulated industrial facilities.	NERC PER-005 operator certification requirements for system operations, reliability standard operating procedure documentation and compliance evidence, forced outage NERC reportable event assessment and notification
Renewable energy fleet O&M and SCADA performance monitoring	Can you describe how to manage the operations and maintenance program for AES Clean Energy's utility-scale solar fleet – how to use SCADA monitoring data to identify underperforming inverters, string failures, or soiling accumulation that reduces array output below expected levels, what the preventive and corrective maintenance program structure is for a distributed solar fleet where sites are geographically spread across multiple states, and how to develop the performance availability guarantee program that ensures AES Clean Energy meets the contractual availability obligations in its power purchase agreements while managing O&M costs that affect project return? We score whether your renewable O&M approach engages with the SCADA data analysis and remote monitoring model that distinguish utility-scale renewable fleet management from thermal generation operations management.	SCADA inverter and array performance monitoring for underperformance identification, preventive maintenance scheduling for distributed solar fleet across multiple states, PPA availability guarantee compliance management
Coal ash surface impoundment closure under EPA CCR rule	Do you understand how to manage the coal ash impoundment closure program at an AES coal facility retiring under the EPA Coal Combustion Residuals rule – how to develop the closure plan that satisfies 40 CFR Part 257 requirements including the groundwater monitoring network design, what the corrective action process is if groundwater monitoring detects a CCR constituent above the applicable threshold triggering a corrective action assessment, and how to manage the financial assurance documentation that EPA requires to demonstrate AES's financial capability to complete closure, post-closure care, and any required corrective action for the impoundment? We detect operations answers that describe ash pond closure as site remediation without engaging with the CCR rule procedural requirements and groundwater monitoring trigger analysis that determine AES's specific compliance obligations for each impoundment closure.	CCR closure plan requirements and groundwater monitoring network design, monitoring exceedance corrective action assessment and EPA notification, CCR financial assurance mechanism requirements and documentation
International power plant operations in resource-constrained emerging markets	Can you describe how to manage power plant operations in an AES Latin American market where grid reliability conditions create more frequent voltage fluctuations than US grid standards, spare parts delivery from OEM suppliers requires 8 to 12 weeks lead time due to customs and logistics constraints, and the local operations workforce does not have the same depth of power systems technical training as the US workforce at comparable facilities – how to adapt the maintenance program to account for longer spare parts lead times, what the local workforce development program looks like for building the technical skills that the plant's reliability performance requires, and how to manage the relationship with the national grid operator when grid disturbances caused by external factors affect AES's generation performance metrics? We flag operations answers that describe international plant management as standard power generation operations without engaging with the supply chain, workforce development, and grid interface management adaptations that resource-constrained emerging market operations require.	Spare parts inventory and lead time management for remote emerging market operations, local operations workforce technical training program, grid operator relationship management for external grid disturbance impacts on plant performance

How a session works

Step 1: Choose an AES operations scenario – NERC bulk electric system operator certification and real-time compliance, renewable energy fleet O&M and SCADA performance monitoring, coal ash surface impoundment closure under EPA CCR rule, or international power plant operations in resource-constrained emerging markets.

Step 2: The AI interviewer asks realistic AES-style questions: how you would manage the NERC compliance response when an AES Indiana generation unit experiences an unplanned forced outage during a winter peak demand period and the preliminary investigation indicates the outage may have resulted from inadequate thermal protection relay testing required by a NERC FAC standard, including how to assess whether the outage constitutes a NERC violation requiring self-disclosure to the regional entity, what the investigation process is to determine whether the relay testing schedule was compliant, and how to develop the corrective action plan that demonstrates to NERC that the root cause has been addressed; how you would design the remote monitoring and dispatch protocol for AES Clean Energy's 800 MW solar fleet distributed across 12 sites in five states where the operations center has SCADA visibility into all sites but only two field maintenance crews that must prioritize corrective maintenance across multiple simultaneous performance issues, including how to develop the performance alert prioritization framework, how to manage the PPA availability measurement impact when a site is offline for corrective maintenance, and what the escalation process is when a site condition requires OEM support that is not available for 48 hours; or how you would develop the 5-year coal ash impoundment closure plan for AES Ohio's Conesville coal plant retirement, including how to structure the groundwater monitoring network, what the closure method selection analysis looks like between cap-in-place and excavation-and-disposal options, and how to structure the financial assurance mechanism that satisfies EPA's demonstration requirements.

Step 3: You respond as you would in the actual interview. The system scores your answer on NERC reliability compliance, renewable fleet O&M, coal ash closure management, and international operations adaptations.

Step 4: You get sentence-level feedback on what demonstrated genuine power generation operations expertise and what needs stronger NERC compliance documentation engagement or renewable SCADA monitoring specificity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What NERC standards apply to AES's generation operations?
AES's bulk electric system generation and transmission assets must comply with NERC reliability standards across multiple categories. Operations and planning standards (TOP/FAC series) govern real-time operations procedures and equipment maintenance requirements. Personnel and communications standards (PER series) require that system operators maintain NERC certification and follow qualified training programs. Critical Infrastructure Protection standards (CIP series) impose cybersecurity requirements for electronic control systems with access to bulk electric system assets. Equipment owners must maintain compliance evidence for applicable standards and self-report violations to NERC's regional entities within specified timeframes. NERC penalties can reach $1 million per violation per day.

How does renewable energy fleet operations management differ from thermal generation management?
Thermal generation (coal, gas, nuclear) involves operators directly managing physical plant systems including boilers, turbines, and electrical equipment through hands-on control room operations. Renewable energy fleet management uses remote SCADA monitoring to track performance across distributed sites where individual operators are not constantly present. Operations management for a wind or solar fleet focuses on analyzing performance data to identify underperforming equipment, scheduling preventive maintenance efficiently across geographically distributed sites, and managing vendor service relationships that provide specialized maintenance for inverters, turbines, and tracking systems. The operational model is more data-driven and remote than traditional generation management.

What does coal plant decommissioning involve operationally?
Coal plant decommissioning involves safe shutdown and removal of generating equipment, management of coal ash disposal under EPA's CCR rule, site environmental assessment and remediation, and workforce transition for employees who cannot transfer to other AES facilities. The most complex operational element is typically the coal ash management program, which may involve closing surface impoundments, excavating and disposing of historically placed ash, or implementing cap-in-place closure under EPA's technical standards. The decommissioning process requires coordination between operations, environmental, legal, and HR functions over a multi-year timeline.

How does AES manage reliability in international markets with less stable grids?
AES's generation facilities in emerging markets including Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East often operate on grids with less stable frequency and voltage conditions than US regional transmission organizations. Operations management adaptations include enhanced protection relay settings to handle wider voltage and frequency variations, more conservative equipment maintenance intervals to compensate for less reliable spare parts supply chains, and closer coordination with national grid operators to understand generation dispatch expectations and grid disturbance events that may affect facility operations. AES also invests in local workforce development to build the technical capability needed to maintain high generation availability in markets where the local labor market does not have the depth of the US power sector workforce.

What safety programs are required for high-voltage power plant operations?
Power plant operations involve high-voltage electrical equipment, high-temperature and high-pressure steam systems at thermal facilities, and rotating machinery that create significant occupational safety hazards. OSHA's general industry safety standards apply to power plant operations including lockout/tagout under 29 CFR 1910.147 for energy control during maintenance, electrical safety standards for high-voltage work, and confined space entry procedures for equipment maintenance in enclosed spaces. AES's safety programs must address these OSHA requirements while also developing a behavioral safety culture appropriate for high-consequence operations where human error can have catastrophic consequences for personnel and equipment.