Last chance for free training in India: 

Raipur 8-9 Nov 2022; Ahmedabad 15-16 Nov 2022

Coal-fired power plant flexibility is vital to maintain grid capacity. Although most coal plants were designed to run at baseload – operating at a steady rate for extended periods – it is becoming increasingly common for units to have to ramp operations up and down in order to maintain grid output. This is due to the growing amount of variable and non-dispatchable renewable energy in countries such as India. As renewable energy sources cannot provide power on demand, coal plants must flex their operation, often quickly and at short notice, to maintain regional capacity. This flexing operation can cause significant damage and wear to coal plants unless preventative measures are taken.

In conjunction with USAID and NTPC, EPRI has developed a Flexibility Toolkit. The Toolkit is an interactive spreadsheet which allows plant operators to summarise the status of plant operations. It covers items such as heat rate, boiler conditions, and individual component operation. By collating data on all areas of plant operation, the user can benchmark existing plant conditions and identify areas of potential concern. An extensive training programme on using the Toolkit, delivered by Stephen Storm of EPRI, includes detailed guidance on identifying common operating challenges at coal-fired power plants and also provides best practices on how to address them.

As part of our project work for the US Department of State (USDOS), the ICSC will be delivering two more flexibility training workshops in India in November 2022. Previous events in Hyderabad and New Delhi in June 2022 were full to capacity, with over 200 delegates receiving hands-on training with the EPRI Flexibility Toolkit at no cost.

The final two events are also free to attend and will be held in:

• Raipur, 8-9 November 2022, hosted by NTPC; and
• Ahmedabad, 15-16 November 2022, hosted by Adani.

These events are likely to be over-subscribed so please register as soon as possible. The Adani event already has limited capacity and so interested parties should contact Mehul Tatia to reserve a place.

Due to the overwhelming success of the flexibility work in India, the project team are initiating consultations on the potential to launch a new initiative in India entitled ‘FLEX-India’. Initial planning is underway for an ad hoc stakeholder consultation event to be held in New Delhi on 17 November. Attendance will be by invitation only – to register your interest, please contact Lesley Sloss.

For more information, registration for the workshops, and the full agenda, please visit our dedicated event page.