China visited VGB - exchange on flexibility of coal-fired power plants

In China, the grid integration of renewable energy is a major challenge. In 2015, more than 33 TWh wind power were taken offline. With the provision of balancing energy, coal-fired power plants are playing a central role mainly in Northern China as there are hardly any hydropower plants in that part of the country. Against this background, representatives of the Chinese energy industry went on a study trip to Germany in order to familiarize themselves with the local experience with the flexibility of coal-fired power plants.

In China, the grid integration of renewable energy is a major challenge. In 2015, more than 33 TWh wind power were taken offline. With the provision of balancing energy, coal-fired power plants are playing a central role mainly in Northern China as there are hardly any hydropower plants in that part of the country. Against this background, representatives of the Chinese energy industry went on a study trip to Germany in order to familiarize themselves with the local experience with the flexibility of coal-fired power plants.
China visited VGB
China visited VGB -
exchange on flexibility of coal-fired power plants

On September 2, 2016 an exchange of experience with VGB took place as well. Based on the presentations of the Kraftwerksschule, RWE Technology, Steag Energy Services, VGB and VPC, the delegation gained an impression how German power plant operators deal with technical and economic challenges. Furthermore, the visit of the RWE power plant Niederaußem enabled a practical insight.

Strategic goals for more flexible Chinese coal-fired power plants

The Chinese delegation consisted of representatives of the National Energy Administration (NEA), the Electrical Power Planning and Engineering Institute (EPPEI) and various Chinese energy supply companies. The latter group included representatives of 16 pilot plants, which have to implement concrete flexibility requirements by the end of 2016. These requirements are part of the "China Thermal Power Transition Program" to improve the flexibility of the coal-fired plants, which developed the EPPEI on behalf of the NEA since April this year. The program is intended to serve as a platform for the national and international dialogue on technical and regulatory solutions. The 16 pilot plants are confronted with the task to increase their control capacity by 15 to 20 % of nominal capacity and to reduce the minimum load to 30 to 35 % of nominal capacity.

The study tour was organized under the umbrella of the German-Chinese energy partnership of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH.