Power plant operators face numerous challenges today. Two of the biggest are coping with the impact of renewable energy on power grids, as well as price and cost pressures resulting from flat or declining global electricity consumption and overcapacity. Then there is a third dimension: the energy sector accounts for over two thirds of global CO2 emissions, with power generation responsible for the majority of it. With talk of global warming and heat rates, power plants are the number one target for lowering our overall energy consumption needs.
Considering all these challenges, the relationship between plant operators and automation suppliers is moving towards a more integrated, partnership approach, in which suppliers develop deep ties with customers and help them to operate their plants more efficiently, reduce costs and plan the best long-term operational solutions. Companies providing service must change their skin and overcome the role of pure suppliers of spare parts, onsite works, repairs, and system upgrades.
Today, ABB service offering encompasses long-term pre-packaged standard maintenance contracts with a set of different options to fit each customer-specific needs for all types of power plant applications, and to cover the entire energy path from electrical balance of plant to substation and grid connection. Through collaborative life cycle management planning, maintenance of assets, extension of their lifetime, and optimization of their performance are scheduled over five to 10 years through a blueprint of small regular upgrades instead of one giant and potentially disruptive one.
Long-term life cycle management is not limited to plant equipment: when it comes to plant control, ABB has evolved its distributed control system families for more than 30 years, ensuring that each new generation enhances its predecessors and is forwardly compatible, keeping its entire fleet of control systems running under the policy of "evolution without obsolescence."
Furthermore, ABB's advanced services mitigate cyber risks, optimize power plant efficiency, and analyze plant emissions to meet regulatory standards.
To learn more about ABB Power Generation Services, take a stroll through out website here: ABB Power Generation Service
