Institution news
Damian will be speaking at the upcoming Power Plant Operations and Flexibility 2025 event, for further details please visit the event website.
Could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience related to the focus of this event?
Damian Gilmartin (DG): My last 4 years have been spent on supporting my team of reliability and process engineers to develop and deliver cutting edge analytical tools to improve the reliability and efficiency of RWE’s gas fired power plant. The 2 biggest digitalisation projects are value based maintenance and centralised performance monitoring. My previous experience has been across CCGTs, coal fired and combined heat and power plant, dealing with asset optimisation as well as maintenance and operations.
What, in your experience, has been the biggest roadblock for the industry over the past 2-3 years?
DG: Having enough engineers with the right mix of digital, analytical and engineering expertise. They have to understand the engineering processes and plant, as well as undertaking complex root cause analysis and build the data models to identify the reliability, integrity and performance problems.
What key topics are you excited to discuss at this year's conference?
DG: It’s always great to share experiences and hear how others are overcoming challenges across the industry. Moving towards more predictive maintenance and facing the reality of lower load factors for thermal power plant during the energy transition are key topics for our business.
What do you consider to be the key areas of innovation in this industry, both in the UK and internationally?
DG: It’s bringing the new technologies, such as advanced analytics, together with the skills and experiences of our people - and getting value from realising the digital transformation. It’s not about just creating PowerBI dashboards and data platforms but using them as part of the day to day business.
Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?
DG: How grid flexibility can be maintained with renewable assets as well as the thermal plant as batteries and wind and solar power dominate the generation market.
Why is it important for engineers to join this conference?
DG: It’s a great time to be part of the energy transition in the electricity industry, with lots of change and challenges, and conferences are essential first sharing our experiences.
Power Plant Operations and Flexibility 2025 will be taking place as part of Decarbonise, Power, Store on 29 April 2025 in Manchester.
The latest iteration of this popular seminar will bring together engineers working across power generation to share best practice and strategies around plant efficiency, inspections, maintenance, retrofitting, and other key topics. Organisations speaking include NESO, efinium, Veolia, EDF, RWE and many more.
Attendees will also be able to access presentations at the Decarbonising the Industrial Clusters 2025 and Energy Storage 2025 events, taking place at the same day and location.
To view the full list of presentations and to book your place, visit the event website.