VGB Conference "Power Plants in Competition 2005" with technical Exhibition

Liberalisation of the energy markets has created new economic settings for the power plant sector. When opting for a certain power plant technology, a major criterion is that low electricity generation costs will be achieved; these will eventually determine the economic success in a market ruled by competition.

The market has forced the power plant operators to define their product profiles more accurately and to revalue both reserve capacity and load management in the context of network operation. Measures to enhance process efficiency will as well improve cost efficiency. Additionally, any reduction in the CO₂ emissions represents a cost element in the context of the emission certificate trade.

Apart from the asset-related costs, the economic success of a plant is determined by fuel expenses and low expenditure for maintenance. Due to reducing margins in the power generation business, the utilisation of animal meal as add-on fuel and the marketing of by-products are now an issue.

More and more attention is paid to concepts like condition monitoring on pressurized and rotating components, or operating coefficients that allow to assess the operation quality. A highly valuable factor for success in competition is the availability of know-how. Here, the focus is on suitable training profiles and requirements to the operating staff.

For existing power plants, the predominant objectives are choosing effective measures to extend the plant lifetime and reducing the operating costs.