Emden is investing 150 million euros for green heat and electricity networks!

Emden is investing 150 million euros for green heat and electricity networks!

A lot is happening in Emden when it comes to the energy transition. The Emden municipal utilities have big plans: more than 150 million euros are to be invested in new heat and electricity networks by 2040. These investments are part of a comprehensive transition away from fossil natural gas supplies, which entail high costs. The goal? A climate-neutral heat supply by 2040 at the latest, reports NWZ Online.

Given that around 50% of the total final energy consumption in Germany comes from heat and the majority of this heat supply is still based on fossil fuels, this step comes at just the right time. The heating sector is seen as a “sleeping giant” of the energy transition, as the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce and Industry explains. In order to awaken this giant, the measures taken in Emden should fit like a piece of the puzzle into the municipal heat planning.

Investments for the future

Stadtwerke Emden aims to invest around 100 million euros in the expansion and construction of heating networks by 2040. The focus is on Barenburg, Fruchtburg, New Delft and Borssum, where around 30 kilometers of new main lines are to be laid. In addition, five to eight kilometers of transport pipelines for waste heat are being planned. Investments will be around eight to nine million euros annually in the coming years. These are intended to help cover the high demand for heat from renewable sources.

The new infrastructure will not only be larger, but also more efficient: stronger insulation and larger pipe diameters offer advantages, while laying in trenches up to three meters wide makes installation easier. A decommissioning plan for gas pipelines should be in place by 2028, and there will no longer be any natural gas pipelines in new buildings and commercial areas. This means that citizens are asked to switch to renewable heat sources such as heat pumps, supported by advice and digital heat maps from the municipal utilities.

The steps to the heat transition

The city was commissioned to implement municipal heat planning, which takes place in five steps: analysis of the current state, a potential analysis for reducing heat demand, the development of future scenarios, an action strategy as well as monitoring and updating the heat plan. This systematic approach is intended to promote the transition to climate neutrality.

Although many of these measures provide positive impulses, political support for financing and infrastructure development is crucial. Industry also enjoys the opportunity to get actively involved, especially when it comes to the use of waste heat, as the IHK Koblenz explains. It is therefore up to everyone involved to drive this development forward.

The next few years will be crucial in achieving the goals we have set. In the end, this not only means a positive development for the citizens of Emden, but also a sustainable contribution to climate neutrality in the entire region.

It remains to be seen how the municipal utilities' plans and municipal heat planning will develop. The course has been set, now it's time to tackle the challenges of the heating transition together.