Hamburg announces plan to save 100,000 tonnes of CO2

Authorities plan to use heat from a recycling plant to fuel the district heating system

Today, local authorities in Hamburg announced they will launch a project to connect the waste recycling plant in Borsigstrasse to the district heating. The idea is to capture waste heat from the recycling process and feed it back into the system. The move should save up to 100,000 tons of CO2 annually.

The new project serves as an example of what next-level energy efficiency might look like – using and recycling every last bit of energy. And this can go a long way. According to the authorities, once Borsigstrasse waste heat is fed into the district heating plant of Tiefstack, a significant portion of the site’s energy needs would be reduced, saving both on emissions and resources.

It is also a prime example of the win-win conditions policymakers strive for when implementing sustainable projects.

The final stages of energy efficiency

The Borsigstrasse waste plant burns 320,000 tonnes of waste annually and currently all that heat ends up in the skies above Hamburg. Now, authorities have decided to reverse the trend with their two-stage approach to energy efficiency. During the first stage, in 2022 Borsigtrasse will be connected with Tiefstack – a heating plant that currently runs on coal.

The waste plant will then feed the central district heating system, reducing the energy demand of Tierstack. In the second stage, by the end of 2023, authorities will launch a small biomass power plant, that will primarily burn waste wood.

Together, the recycling heat and biomass heat will have an output of 350,000 megawatts, capable of heating 35,000 homes. The project will cost around 55 million euros and if deemed successful, authorities said they planned an expansion to other incineration plants in the city.

Hamburg’s Environment Senator, Jens Kerstan, praised the project for bringing the Hanseatic city one step closer to the final phase-out of coal, planned for 2030.