Basic Power Station Operations Course
Get the foundational knowledge you need to work confidently in a power plant environment. This course covers everything from thermodynamic principles and major equipment systems to safety compliance and emergency response. Whether you are entering the field or formalising what you have learned on the job, this is the training that gets you ready.
What you'll learn:
You will learn how power plants generate electricity, from fuel intake through grid connection, across thermal, hydro, nuclear, and combined-cycle plant types. You will study major equipment including boilers, turbines, generators, and cooling systems, and understand how each one fits into the overall energy conversion process. The course covers instrumentation, control loops, and distributed control system operation so you can read and respond to plant conditions with confidence. You will also work through startup and shutdown sequences, normal load control, and emergency procedures. Safety culture, regulatory compliance, and permit-to-work systems are integrated throughout. By the end, you will have a complete operational picture of how a power plant runs.
How you study in practice Basic Power Station Operations Course
How you practise Basic Power Station Operations Course
For businesses looking to train their team
With Dedika for businesses, the course includes exercises and examples tailored to your own business and the way your company needs.
Course content
8 Chapters • 37 LessonsDuration between 4 and 360 hours (you decide)
Chapter 1HideHide detailsSee detailsFoundations of Power Generation
Foundations of Power Generation
Lesson 1 • Electrical Generation Fundamentals
Explains how mechanical rotation produces alternating current in a generator. Links turbine-generator coupling to grid frequency and voltage output.
Lesson 2 • Power Plant Classification and Types
Distinguishes thermal, hydro, nuclear, and combined-cycle plants by design. Provides context for understanding operational differences across plant types.
Lesson 3 • Energy Sources and Conversion Basics
Covers fossil fuels, nuclear, hydro, and renewables as primary inputs. Connects energy source selection to plant design and operational constraints.
Lesson 4 • Thermodynamic Principles for Operators
Introduces the laws of thermodynamics as applied to steam and gas cycles. Builds the analytical foundation needed for understanding heat-to-work conversion.
Chapter 2HideHide detailsSee detailsPlant Systems and Major Equipment
Plant Systems and Major Equipment
Lesson 1 • Turbine and Generator Systems
Examines steam turbine stages, rotor dynamics, and generator cooling. Connects turbine design to efficiency, load range, and maintenance intervals.
Lesson 2 • Fuel Handling and Preparation Systems
Covers coal pulverisers, oil forwarding systems, and gas supply trains. Connects fuel quality and preparation to combustion efficiency and emissions.
Lesson 3 • Cooling Water and Heat Rejection Systems
Explains once-through, closed-loop, and dry cooling systems for heat rejection. Links cooling system performance to condenser backpressure and plant output.
Lesson 4 • Boiler and Combustion Systems
Describes boiler types, burner configurations, and combustion air systems. Establishes how steam generation rate and quality are controlled.
Lesson 5 • Condensate and Feedwater Systems
Traces the water-steam cycle from condenser hotwell to boiler drum. Highlights feedwater heaters, deaerators, and pump functions.
Chapter 3HideHide detailsSee detailsInstrumentation and Control Systems
Instrumentation and Control Systems
Lesson 1 • Distributed Control System Operation
Introduces DCS architecture, operator workstations, and alarm management. Prepares students to navigate control screens and respond to system alerts.
Lesson 2 • Protective Relays and Interlocks
Describes trip logic, protective relays, and safety interlocks that prevent equipment damage. Links protection settings to equipment design limits.
Lesson 3 • Control Loops and Feedback Systems
Explains proportional-integral-derivative control applied to boiler and turbine loops. Connects controller tuning to process stability and response speed.
Lesson 4 • Process Measurement Instruments
Covers pressure, temperature, flow, and level transmitters used in plant operations. Establishes accurate reading and calibration awareness as operational skills.
Chapter 4HideHide detailsSee detailsPlant Safety and Regulatory Compliance
Plant Safety and Regulatory Compliance
Lesson 1 • Permit-to-Work Systems
Explains the permit-to-work process for isolating, controlling, and releasing equipment. Connects permit discipline to preventing unauthorised energisation.
Lesson 2 • Environmental Emissions Control
Covers stack emissions monitoring, continuous emissions monitoring systems, and limit compliance. Links operational adjustments to meeting environmental discharge standards.
Lesson 3 • Safety Culture and Human Factors
Addresses error-likely situations, stop-work authority, and just culture principles. Connects individual behaviour to plant-wide safety performance outcomes.
Lesson 4 • Occupational Safety Fundamentals
Covers hazard identification, personal protective equipment, and lockout/tagout procedures. Establishes safety as a non-negotiable operational priority.
Lesson 5 • Regulatory Reporting and Documentation
Explains required operational logs, incident reporting, and compliance record keeping. Prepares students to meet documentation obligations accurately and on time.
Chapter 5HideHide detailsSee detailsPlant Startup and Shutdown Procedures
Plant Startup and Shutdown Procedures
Lesson 1 • Loading and Ramping Procedures
Explains load pickup rates, ramp limits, and coordination with grid dispatch. Links loading speed to thermal stress and emissions compliance.
Lesson 2 • Cold, Warm, and Hot Start Sequences
Distinguishes startup types by turbine metal temperature and required soak times. Connects thermal stress management to startup rate limits.
Lesson 3 • Normal and Emergency Shutdown
Covers planned load reduction, turbine rundown, and post-trip cooldown steps. Prepares students to execute both controlled and emergency shutdowns safely.
Lesson 4 • Pre-Startup Checks and Readiness
Covers equipment walkdowns, permit clearances, and system lineup verification. Establishes the discipline of confirming readiness before initiating any startup.
Chapter 6HideHide detailsSee detailsNormal Operations and Load Control
Normal Operations and Load Control
Lesson 1 • Load Following and Frequency Response
Describes automatic generation control, governor response, and manual load adjustment. Connects unit response capability to grid stability requirements.
Lesson 2 • Auxiliary Systems Management
Covers plant air, service water, lube oil, and seal systems during normal operation. Ensures students can maintain auxiliary health to support continuous generation.
Lesson 3 • Steam Temperature and Pressure Control
Explains attemperator operation, superheat control, and reheat temperature management. Links steam conditions to turbine efficiency and blade life.
Lesson 4 • Combustion Optimisation Techniques
Covers excess air adjustment, flame monitoring, and fuel-air ratio control. Connects combustion tuning to heat rate improvement and emissions reduction.
Lesson 5 • Steady-State Monitoring Practices
Establishes routines for logging, trending, and comparing parameters to design values. Builds the habit of early anomaly detection through systematic monitoring.
Chapter 7HideHide detailsSee detailsAbnormal Conditions and Emergency Response
Abnormal Conditions and Emergency Response
Lesson 1 • Abnormal Condition Recognition
Trains operators to distinguish normal variation from developing abnormalities using alarms and trends. Builds pattern recognition as the first step in emergency response.
Lesson 2 • Electrical System Disturbances
Explains grid faults, loss of auxiliary power, and islanding scenarios. Connects electrical disturbance response to maintaining plant house load.
Lesson 3 • Emergency Procedures and Drills
Covers emergency operating procedure structure, drill execution, and post-drill critique. Reinforces procedural compliance under simulated high-stress conditions.
Lesson 4 • Boiler and Combustion Emergencies
Covers tube failures, furnace implosion, and flame loss scenarios with corrective actions. Connects rapid diagnosis to minimising secondary damage.
Lesson 5 • Turbine and Generator Emergencies
Addresses overspeed, high vibration, loss of lube oil, and generator faults. Prepares students to initiate trips and protect rotating equipment.
Chapter 8HideHide detailsSee detailsMaintenance Fundamentals and Reliability
Maintenance Fundamentals and Reliability
Lesson 1 • Condition Monitoring Techniques
Covers vibration analysis, thermography, oil sampling, and ultrasonic testing. Builds ability to interpret monitoring data and identify developing faults.
Lesson 2 • Maintenance Strategy Overview
Distinguishes run-to-failure, preventive, predictive, and reliability-centred maintenance. Connects strategy selection to cost, risk, and equipment criticality.
Lesson 3 • Key Performance Indicators for Reliability
Covers availability factor, equivalent forced outage rate, and heat rate as reliability metrics. Prepares students to use KPIs for continuous performance improvement.
Lesson 4 • Outage Planning and Execution
Explains planned outage scope development, critical path scheduling, and work package preparation. Links outage discipline to minimising downtime and cost.
Lesson 5 • Root Cause Analysis Methods
Introduces fault tree analysis, fishbone diagrams, and the five-whys technique. Connects systematic root cause identification to preventing recurrence.
Your valid completion certificate
This course is for you:
Entry-level plant worker: eager to build a structured operational knowledge base.
Military veteran: transitioning from technical service roles into civilian energy careers.
Mechanical or electrical technician: moving into a power generation operations role.
Engineering student: seeking practical plant context to complement academic coursework.
Utility apprentice: preparing for qualification testing and shift operator responsibilities.
Career changer: drawn to the energy sector from an unrelated industrial background.
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