Flexibility Test Runs in Indian Power Plants to Support Grid Integration of Renewable Energies

The Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) with its stakeholders of Subgroup I are investigating the flexibility potential of two Indian power plants.

A team of Indian and German experts is currently preparing highly complex test runs at the power plants Andal and Maithon. These test runs aim at evaluating the potential of the flexible operation of these two thermal power plants which would prepare them to participate in a Renewable Energy dominated energy market with fluctuating power generation. The Andal power plant is located in the state of West Bengal and is operated by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC). Unit 2, which has a capacity of 500 Megawatt (MW), is included for the test runs. Maithon power station, located in the State of Jharkhand, is operated by Tata Power. There as well, Unit 2 with a capacity of 525 MW is the focus of the test runs.

The work is coordinated by the Task Force Flexibility under the umbrella of IGEF, which is led by the Director Operations at National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC). On the Indian side, the task force is composed of members from NTPC, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the grid operator Power System Operation Corporation Ltd. (POSOCO) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL). The VGB partner organisation the Excellence Enhancement Centre (EEC) coordinates the work, which is accompanied on the German side by VGB, GIZ, Siemens and Steag Energy Services.

The topic "Flexible Operation of Thermal Power Plants" has already been at the top of the IGEF agenda since 2016. Important milestones of the activities so far have been the successful test runs at the thermal power plant Dadri operated by NTPC and the publication of the Flexibility Toolbox, a compilation of technical measures for flexible power plant operation.

 

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