This paper surveys the development of coal-fired power plant technology based on steam turbine generator units. It is shown that, over recent decades as well as 1808 Nikolay Rogalev et al. in the immediate future, development efforts in this area were and will be focused on improving thermal efficiency of the plant by boosting initial parameters of its working medium: main steam pressure and temperature as well as reheat steam temperature. Ultrasupercritical steam (with pressures ranging between 28 and 32 MPa and temperatures of 600 to 620°С) can be considered as a mature steam turbine generator technology, with plant efficiency factors of 45…46%. The transition to advanced ultrasupercritical steam (700 to 760°С, 35 to 40 MPa) is the next step in the development of coal-fired steam turbine power plant technology, one that makes efficiency of 50% attainable. This direction in the development of coal-fired power plant technology appears to be the most promising at present. State-of-the art developments in steam turbine power plant technology employing advanced ultrasupercritical (A-USC) steam with efficiency factors about 50% have been analyzed for the European Union, US, Japan and China. Covered in the paper are work programs and findings pertaining to development and studies of materials and structural members of high-temperature boiler sections and steam turbines, power plant designs with unit capacities up to 1100 MW, as well as economic and environmental aspects of A-USC steam power plant development. Information on project participants is provided.