Power and ElectricalPower Plant Operations and Control
This course covers the operation and control of a generating plant across its full range of states, not just steady load. Delegates work through the thermal cycle and plant systems, start up and shutdown sequences, load following and frequency response, the control systems governing boiler, turbine and generator, and the protections that trip a unit. Substantial attention goes to abnormal operation: how a unit behaves during a disturbance, what the operator sees, and the decisions that determine whether an event becomes a trip. The course closes on performance monitoring, heat rate and the operating decisions that move plant efficiency.
Course objectives
- Describe the thermal cycle and the main plant systems
- Carry out start up and shutdown sequences in the correct order
- Explain load following, frequency response and grid code obligations
- Describe boiler, turbine and generator control and their interaction
- Identify unit protections and the conditions that trip a plant
- Recognise abnormal operation early and respond appropriately
- Monitor heat rate and identify the operating decisions that affect it
Who should attend
- Power plant operators, shift charge engineers and supervisors
- Plant and performance engineers
- Control and instrumentation staff in generation
- Maintenance engineers in power plant
- Graduate engineers entering generation
Course outline
- 01The thermal cycle and main plant systems
- 02Start up sequences and the constraints on each step
- 03Shutdown, cooling and preservation
- 04Load following, frequency response and grid code obligations
- 05Boiler, turbine and generator control and their interaction
- 06Unit protections and trip conditions
- 07Abnormal operation, disturbance response and operator decisions
- 08Heat rate, performance monitoring and efficiency
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 September 2026 | Windhoek, Namibia | Classroom | R11,995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 24 to 28 September 2026 | London, United Kingdom | Classroom | R11,995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 9 to 13 October 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | Classroom | R11,995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 6 to 10 November 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | Classroom | R11,995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 3 to 7 December 2026 | Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe | Classroom | R11,995 per delegate | Register Now |