On May 14–15, Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) held the O&M Conference 2026: Powering Progress in Kolkata. The conference brought together scholars, power sector executives, and business professionals to discuss the long-term prospects for thermal power generation and the integration of renewable energy sources.
The conference, with the theme “Integrating Green Initiatives & Thermal Excellence,” aimed to hasten the shift towards cleaner, more resilient power systems while simultaneously improving operational efficiency.
Praveen Gupta, Member (Thermal) of the Central Electricity Authority, S. Suresh Kumar, Chairman of the DVC, Ujjwal Kanti Bhattacharya, Managing Director of STEAG Energy Services India Pvt Ltd, Ravindra Kumar, Director (Operations) at NTPC Limited, Subrata Mandal of the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited, and Brajesh Kumar Singh of CESC Limited were among the notable power sector stakeholders who attended the event.
In his opening remarks, P. P. Sah, Executive Director (Operations) of DVC, provided an overview of the organization’s operations and established the ground rules for the subsequent technical sessions.
In his keynote speech, Member (Technical) and conference chief patron Swapnendu Kumar Panda emphasised the changing nature of thermal power operations and the importance of maintenance strategies driven by innovation.
Emerging technology and operational challenges in the power sector were the topics of technical sessions and panel discussions that took place over the course of two days.
Topics covered in depth included operational strategies focused on reliability, digitalisation and smart monitoring systems driven by artificial intelligence, digital twin deployment for thermal power assets, methods for root cause analysis, energy efficiency improvements, and predictive maintenance driven by AI.
Technologies for emission control, ways to decarbonise thermal power plants, renewable energy integration, grid stability and inertia management, optimising the quality of fossil fuels, conservation efforts, and the like were all topics covered at the conference.
Researchers and professionals in the field were able to share real-world experiences, examine case studies, and have expert-led discussions about how to improve the efficiency and longevity of power plants.
At its end, the conference reaffirmed its intentions to host a bigger and more consequential edition in the future, and its attendees pledged to put the ideas and technical solutions spoken about into action by enhancing thermal power facilities’ operations and achieving innovation-driven excellence.
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