The document summarizes a seminar presentation on improving the plant load factor of thermal power plants through optimal operational practices. It discusses how the plant load factor of coal-fired power plants in India has declined in recent years. The presentation covers the working principle of thermal power plants, identifies problems leading to lower plant load factors, reviews literature on factors affecting plant load factor, discusses the research objective to identify major reasons for declining capacity utilization, and presents the results of a regression analysis conducted to analyze the relationship between various factors and plant load factor. It concludes that urgent policy support is needed to improve the plant load factor of thermal power plants in India.