Flexible power plants for the Energiewende In Europe the use of renewable energy resources (RES) makes considerably progress, while the installation of high capacity electrical storage systems in the range of GWh of electricity cannot follow. For this transitional period, thermal power plants on the basis of gas and coal must perform important grid regulation tasks. Thus, they are essential partners for renewable energies. Existing thermal power plants are only restrictedly suitable to compensate the increasing fluctuating supply from RES. To clearly improve this, thermal power plants have to be modified. The joint R&D project “Partner Steam Power Plant” North Rhine-Westphalia aims at the development of a high-flexible coal and gas fired power station. The research project “Partner Steam Power Plant” North Rhine-Westphalia is designed to develop new technical concepts to master the challenges for the integration of large proportion of RES. This might guarantee a reliable power supply at any time. Which properties power plants must have for this project? They must have a quick start-up and shut-down time and have to be operated at extreme minimum loads. At low loads they shall have a high efficiency, too and all that with an extremely environmental compatibility and economic efficiency. The federal state North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is home to a large industry for power plants manufactures and power plant operators. The state can boast an extensive and unparalleled network of partners from the research and business communities who work together closely along almost the full length of the value chain. NRW therefore gives strong support to the EU`s energy policy by supporting important R&D projects to cope the challenges in Europe together.