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One man show: in a record-breaking nine weeks, as part of the most comprehensive overhaul in the plant''s history, the entire instrumentation and control system at Wilhelmshaven power station was removed and replaced. In the process the sophistication of the I & C has been enhanced to the point where the plant can be operated by one person.

Article Excerpt
Europe will require new power plants with a combined capacity of 300 000 MW by the year 2020 and 400 000 MW by 2030, according to Dr Gerd Jager, president and CEO of RWE Power AG and chairman of VGB PowerTech eV. Around half the demand is to meet a forecast increase in consumption, while the rest is to replace older plant that will reach or exceed the age of 35 during this period. But despite the daunting figures, the tendency among generators is still to go for the modernisation of existing plant rather than new build.

The consequence is that the expected wave of new plant construction is simply not happening. Siemens is finding that some 80 per cent of its electrical and controls business is in modernisation projects, according to Johannes Bogensperger, head of sales at its electrical and control systems division.

Generation as a managed process

In the wake of ongoing deregulation of the markets and the associated changes in the power industry, the I&C discipline is also undergoing far-reaching changes: "Evolving I & C from a monitoring and control tool into an all-round management tool is pre-programmed", says Siemens. The greater...