In this work, a zone economic model predictive controller is proposed for the operation of a boiler-turbine generating system. The control objective is to optimize the operating economics while satisfying the,power generation demand from the grid. First, the considered boiler-turbine system is introduced and the economic performance indices are formulated. Then, a moving horizon estimator (MHE) is designed to provide state estimates for the controller in virtue of its ability in dealing with nonlinearities and constraints. Subsequently, an economic model predictive control (EMPC) design integrated with a zone tracking objective is proposed for the boiler-turbine generating system. Extensive simulations under different scenarios illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed EMPC design compared with the conventional set-point tracking model predictive control. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.