<P> A thermal power station is a power plant in which heat energy is converted to electric power . In most of the places in the world the turbine is steam - driven . Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator . After it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in a condenser and recycled to where it was heated; this is known as a Rankine cycle . The greatest variation in the design of thermal power stations is due to the different heat sources; fossil fuel dominates here, although nuclear heat energy and solar heat energy are also used . Some prefer to use the term energy center because such facilities convert forms of heat energy into electrical energy . Certain thermal power plants also are designed to produce heat energy for industrial purposes, or district heating, or desalination of water, in addition to generating electrical power . </P> <P> Almost all coal, nuclear, geothermal, solar thermal electric, and waste incineration plants, as well as many natural gas power plants are thermal . Natural gas is frequently combusted in gas turbines as well as boilers . The waste heat from a gas turbine, in the form of hot exhaust gas, can be used to raise steam, by passing this gas through a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) the steam is then used to drive a steam turbine in a combined cycle plant that improves overall efficiency . Power plants burning coal, fuel oil, or natural gas are often called fossil - fuel power plants . Some biomass - fueled thermal power plants have appeared also . Non-nuclear thermal power plants, particularly fossil - fueled plants, which do not use co-generation are sometimes referred to as conventional power plants . </P>

What are the main components of steam power plant