The Importance of Software Usage In Large-Scale Power Plant Projects – OpEd
When a major industrial company decides to invest in the construction of a new large-scale power plant, it may require a high-capacity thermal power plant operating on natural gas, coal, or fuel oil. These plants can have a capacity ranging from 100 MW to 1000 MW or even more. However, managing the fundamental design process of such a large-scale project using only basic calculation tools or software like Excel is neither feasible nor efficient. These methods lead to significant time losses and increase the risk of errors.
On the other hand, outsourcing the entire design process to foreign engineering firms can also be an unnecessary financial burden. These firms typically rely on specialized engineering software available on the market. Many commercial engineering software programs today originated from academic research and PhD dissertations before evolving into commercial products. Repeating calculations that were conducted 20–30 years ago from scratch no longer makes sense; instead, leveraging advanced software solutions enables faster and more reliable results.
Using ready-made engineering software allows project managers to maintain control rather than becoming entirely dependent on external firms. These software solutions have been tested and optimized over many years, minimizing errors. Developing software of the same level from scratch would be a costly and time-consuming endeavor.
A simple online search for “Thermal Power Plants Design Software” reveals numerous commercial software alternatives. The cost of licensing these programs varies between $10,000 and $100,000, but for large-scale companies, this expense is justifiable within the overall project budget. Investing in advanced engineering software can lead to significant long-term cost savings for an energy company.
Most of these software programs offer demo versions, but critical parameters such as capacity, fuel type, and environmental conditions are often restricted. These demo versions are designed to provide users with a general understanding of the software rather than full functionality. Software vendors assume that users will transition to the full version based on their experience with the demo.
When purchasing the full version of the software, companies typically receive a download link via email along with a hardware key (dongle) to activate the license. However, accessing original versions of some software can be challenging, particularly in East Asian markets, where cracked versions are widespread, but genuine engineering software is harder to obtain.
In Turkey, many universities—including Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), Boğaziçi University, Gazi University, Dumlupınar University, Marmara University, and Yeditepe University—utilize foreign engineering software in their scientific research and engineering projects. Similarly, most major thermal power plant investors rely on such software to manage their projects.
The use of advanced engineering software in large-scale energy projects is widely recognized as a key factor in reducing costs and increasing efficiency. The cost of these software programs is relatively low compared to the benefits they provide, making project management processes more effective.
Stakeholders in the energy sector should view software adoption as a strategic investment, ensuring that projects are more successful and competitive in the long run.
