Digital smart power plant is an important development direction of thermal power technology. Combining with the characteristics of production and management of thermal power enterprises

this paper presents the technical route and development direction of smart thermal power plant and discusses the smart thermal power plant's system framework and key technical field. Moreover

it divides the technical system of smart thermal power plant into five technical platforms

including smart data

smart safety

smart producing

smart operation and smart integrated management. Furthermore

it studies the development status of key technologies of each system in detail. It suggests that the construction of smart power plant should follow three principles: 1) according to the digital level of the power plant

the personnel condition and the production and operation demand; 2) satisfying the local power market policy and constructing the power plant orderly and phase by phase; 3) on the basis of the implementation of pilot power plant

summarizing the construction experience

improving the system structure of smart power plant continuously

and rising the construction level and management level of smart power plant.