Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) have received a great deal of attention in recent years and are now at a pre-commercial stage. In this work, referring to the simulation experience of the Department of Environmental Engineering of the University of Genoa (DIAM), the process analysis of a reference 500 kW MCFC plant will be presented. The new philosophy of distributed energy supply for the production and the distribution of electrical energy focuses its attention on plants with a power size in the range of 1 - 10 MW. For this reason the simulation of a 1 MW MCFC system will be considered, both on the basis of a 500kW plant scheme, and taking into account some modifications for improving its performance, and the results of the simulation will be discussed. (c) 2006 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.