Seminar On
Flexibilisation
of Thermal
Power Plants
Learning from The German Experiences
India Habitat Centre
1st Decemeber 2017
EEC MEMBERS
Flexibilisation of Thermal Power Plants
Learning from The German Experiences
Introduction ence between off peak demand and peak demand after
discounting renewables will be [Link] implies that the
The world energy scenario is undergoing a major trans- available capacities (other than renewables) should be able
formation especially post COP21, which has set the pace to ramp up at rates exceeding 25 GW/hour.
for various economies to redefine their strategies towards
energy security, sustainability and energy mix. The Indi-
an economy with its high growth potential will guide the
Adaption of Thermal Power Plants to
corresponding energy demand growth. In synonyms with Fluctuating Renewables
its ambitious target at COP21, India has set for itself a The adaption of coal based power plants to fluctuating re-
renewable energy target of 175 GW by 2022 and gradual newables throws a new set of challenges for both existing
reduction in contribution of thermal power, particularly coal and new thermal power plants. There is a pressing need for
based power in its energy mix. At present coal accounts for a total relook in the design and operational philosophies of
59% of total capacity of 330 GW and the renewables are the thermal power plants.
at 17%. By year 2022 the share of coal will reduce to 41%,
while the renewables will increase to 36%.This roadmap The PLF and efficiency are no more the key drivers and
for moving to low carbon economy ushers well with India’s these are overruled by better flexibility of the power plants.
overall commitment of meeting more than 50% demand This new requirement calls upon thermal power plant to
from renewables by year 2030. be subjected to frequent load changes, cycling and two
shift operation leading to higher fatigue and creep induced
Need for Integration of Large Scale stresses . Apart from the need for higher maintenance,
these additional stresses can further lead to possible
Renewables with Thermal Power failures and reduced equipment & plant life . Some of the
equipments & components which are adversely affected
The introduction of large scale renewables in the emerging
include boiler thick walled components, turbine rotor &
energy transition brings along with it a new set of chal-
blades, copper components of electrical equipment etc.
lenges to be managed by the power sector. The variability
The various plant performance parameters too get adverse-
and intermittency of solar power and wind power has to be
ly impacted. For enhancing the flexibility of existing power
managed and supplemented by other sources of energy
plants, retrofitting and upgrading of boiler, turbine, control
in order to ensure the system stability and security. With
& instrumentation and certain auxiliary systems will be
limited pump storage & with overall hydro potential of the
necessary to meet the new requirements.
country limited to 150 GW and gas sources being insuffi-
cient the coal based generation is the major option to meet This calls upon the existing power plants which hitherto
and match the fluctuating requirements of the grid. In the have been operating mainly on base load to under take
absence of credible & affordable technologies for renew- specific studies and undertake required modifications and
able energy storage and demand side response to pick up, as well redefine the operation and maintenance practices.
the coal based power generation is likely to be the main This in turn calls upon the need of having new set of exper-
stay in the foreseeable future and accordingly it has to tise among the various power sector stakeholders.
adapt to the fluctuating load requirements as demanded by This task of rejuvenating most of existing fleet of power
the system for its proper balancing and stability. plants is gigantic and the success of energy transition to
The process of integration of renewables with the thermal renewables will also depend on the success of how effec-
generation as per fluctuating renewables will become more tively and efficiently the existing thermal power plants can
and more crucial with further growth of renewables in the be transformed into their new adaptation.
coming years. A recent study has projected that the differ-
EEC Members
German Experiences in Flexibilisation of 2. To identify requirements for capacity building
3. Analyse the present framework conditions for a flexible
Thermal Power Plants operation of conventional power plants. The task force
has been actively engaged on these tasks and has
The German power industry has much earlier witnessed made noticeable progress on the above initiatives.
the era of adaptation to renewable energy by flexibilisation
of its thermal power plants and other measures like grid
strengthening, demand side response, battery storage etc.
Study on Flexibilisation of Thermal Power
Germany has already reached 50% of its total capacity
from renewables Also, the net consumption of renewable
Plants by German Experts
power has reached 33% of total annual power consump- The Indo-German task force set up for Enhancing Flexibility
tion. The flexibilisation of the thermal power plants has of existing thermal power plants to adapt to fluctuating
been under great focus with the intended aim of balancing renewable energies’ priortised their focus on the aspect of
and achieving stability of the power system. The potential “Studying the feasibility of flexible operation of coal fired
measures have been implemented by most of the Ger- plants “in the country. For this study two plants of NTPC
man utilities. These measures are dependent on class of namely Dadri & Simhadri were identified as reference
technology, units size, type of fuel etc. The units are able to plants. The German Expert team visited these power plants
achieve, high technical and operational flexibility, achiev- in December, 2016 and March,2017. A number of interactive
ing stable load as low as 20%, high operational gradients, meetings between the German and Indian Power experts
short ramp up time, high number of start ups and load helped in identifying and addressing the key concern area.
cycles, high efficiency at wide load range. The fuel flexibility The German experts have completed their findings and the
has been also implemented as potential modifications to report is under the process of its finalisation.
have better overall flexibility.
The collaborative efforts of utilities, research institutes and
Study Tour to Germany
manufacturers have defined and established the system- Under the aegis of Ministry of Power, Government of India
atic approach in achieving flexibilisation of German steam a study tour on “Enhancing the flexibility of steam power
power plant on various measurable parameters. The new plants to adapt to fluctuating renewable energies” was
power plant designs have been developed for better flexi- organized jointly by the Excellence Enhancement Center
bilisation and certain new concepts having been introduced (EEC) for the Indian Power Sector, the European Technical
and implemented. Association For Heat and Power Generation (VGB) and the
Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF). A 21 members team
The German power industry has gained extensive expe-
representing 12 organizations from Indian Power Sector
rience in enhancing flexibilisation of their thermal power
participated in the week long program at Berlin and Leipzig,
plants. This experience is very relevant to the transforma-
Germany from September 18 - 25, 2016.
tion of our thermal power plants to meet the new emerg-
ing scenario in the Indian Power Sector. A similar study tour of the power sector stakeholders on
the subject has been programmed for this year beginning
Indo – German Joint initiatives at 29 October, 2017 to 5 November, 2017.
Government Level and Role of EEC Present Seminar
The Ministry of Power, Government of India has given very The present seminar on “Flexibilisation of Thermal Power
high priority to the emerging requirement of Enhancing Plants to Fluctuating Renewable Energies - The German
Flexibility of Thermal Power Plants. This is why in May,2016 Experiences” has been jointly organized by Excellence En-
Ministry of Power, Government of India and Ministry hancement Center (EEC) and Indo –German Energy Forum
for Economic Affairs and Energy, Government of Federal (IGEF) with the technical support of the European Technical
Republic of Germany decided that the Flexibilisation of Association for Heat and Power Generation (VGB) to bring
coal fired power plants to adapt to fluctuating renewable before Indian Power Sector the state of the art in this field.
energy generation is a priority issue for the ongoing ener-
gy dialogue between both countries. Immediately, a task The seminar will draw upon the experiences of German
force Chaired by Director (Operations) from NTPC Ltd, Mr. Power Industry in this field for almost two decades and will
K K Sharma was established with members from CEA, cover the various aspects related to technology, implemen-
EEC, POSOCO, BHEL on Indian side and members from tation process, difficulties and lesson learnt and current
VGB, and IGEF on German side. The task force decided to best practices. The seminar will also show-case the study
concentrate on the following three aspects:- carried out at the Indian reference plants along with key
1. Study on the technical feasibility of flexibilisation mea- findings and recommendations by the German Experts.
sures in the Indian power sector.
EEC Members
German Expert Team at NTPC Dadri & Simhadri Power Stations during Flexibilisation Study
Methodology & Faculty About EEC
The program will be delivered through presentations by Excellence Enhancement Centre (EEC) for Indian Power
various German Experts, interactive discussions and case Sector was conceptualized as part of bilateral cooperation
studies. The German Experts will be drawn from VGB and between Govt. of India and Govt. of Federal Republic
its member organization with their rich and long experienc- of Germany and was set up through an Implementation
es in this field who will share their experiences. Agreement between BEE & CEA, Ministry of Power,
GOI and GIZ, Germany under the Indo German Energy
Registration Programme (Phase II), to promote dialogue in the area of
Energy Efficiency and Energy Security. It was registered as
Details of participants may be sent preferably three weeks a non-profit society under the Indian Societies Registration
in advance of commencement of the program in the Act 1860 and started functioning from February 2012.
attached registration form along with the requisite program
fee to the EEC Office address.
Who Should Attend
The program is designed for Senior & Middle level executives, all those involved in the power plant design &
engineering, operation & maintenance, renovation & modernization,erection & commissioning, commercial
management, system operators, discoms, technology provider, product and solution providers, policy makers,
regulators and others.
Venue: India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
Date: 1st December, 2017
Duration: 9.00 am to 6 pm
Seminar Fee: Rs 10,000/-+Applicable GST per participant.
• Seminar Fee to be paid by Cheques / Demand Draft drawn in favour of “Excellence Enhancement Centre for
Indian Power Sector “ payable at New Delhi.
• EEC Member Organisations-Two Delegates Free and Subsequent Delegates are entitled for 20% Discount.
Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited
EEC MEMBERS
Excellence Enhancement Centre for Indian Power Sector
West Block - 2, Wing 5, First Floor, Sector 1, R. K. Puram, New Delhi - 110 066, India
Tel/Fax: 011-26164297, Mob.9811427755
E-mail: ceoeecips@[Link]; duajsingh@[Link]; mdeecips@[Link] | Web: [Link]
