WarmteStad has received a permit to build a new, permanent heat plant on Zernike Campus. The build has started in february. The heat plant will replace the temporary plant in phases. The heat plant is the starting point for the supply of sustainable heat for 10.000 houses and buildings in the northwest of the city of Groningen.

The heat net of WarmteStad is over 4 kilometers by now and has been layed out on Zernike Campus, in Paddepoel and Selwerd. In Selwerd, the piping system will be expanded this year. Several housing blocks, offices and knowledge institutions such as the Hanze University are connected to the heat network already.

Use of residual heat

Up until now, WarmteStad used a temporary heat plant at the Pondematen on Zernike Campus. The new heat plant will be ready this fall and suitable for the use of sustainable residual heat. This residual heat comes from the adjacent data centers QTS and Bytesnet. To increase the temperature of this residual heat, WarmteStad wil be using heat pumps and cogeneration. In the future, WarmteStad would like to warm the heat net with solar power as well. 

New step in sustainability

Directorr Dick Takkebos of WarmteStad: “By building the new, permanent heat plant, we take the sustainability of Groningen a step further. We can actually transform the residual heat into sustainable heat for thousands of Groningers. The plant is therefore ready for the future, in which we will connect more and more buildings to our heat net.”

Finance

The financing of the heat plant is covered by the investment decree ‘Warmtenet Noordwest’, taken by the shareholders in 2019. The Dutch Water Authority Bank (Nederlandse Waterschapsbank, NWB) hs also provided WarmteStad with the financial means. 

The building of the plant is taken on by the company Averesch from Rijssen. The Groningen architect firm TEAM 4 made the design of the building. More info on the building can be found here.

Source: warmtestad.nl
Artist Impression: TEAM4