IT solutions for power plant management in competitive markets

Deregulation and liberalisation of energy markets are spreading rapidly over the entire globe. This process is changing the business environment in all sectors of power companies: generation, transport, distribution and sales, with dramatic impact on the way the traditional utilities do business. Competition is placing pressure on utilities to cut their costs. Only companies that are really determined to go ahead and exploit their potential to the utmost will be successful in the long run. More intensive and efficient use of information systems is the key factor to success. It is evident that IT will play a major role for success in rapidly changing and strongly competitive markets. The article discusses the impact of deregulation on the IT solutions required to achieve this goal. As practical examples, some applications and current developments at Siemens are used.