Germany: Cologne invests €280 million in district energy revolution with Rhine River heat pump

Cologne is making significant strides towards carbon neutrality by upgrading its district heating network. A 150-megawatt heat pump is being developed on the Rhine, providing heat for the city using river water. The system will be supplied by German manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions in collaboration with energy provider RheinEnergie.

 

“We are relying on heat pump technology because it is tried and tested, reliable, and extremely efficient,” RheinEnergie CEO Andreas Feicht said at the contract signing. He emphasised that the plant would be “a model for harnessing the untapped energy potential of Germany’s major rivers.”

 

The project represents an investment of €280 million, with €100 million funded by the European Union and the German government. Construction is set to begin next year, with operations expected to start in the winter of 2027/28.

 

The heat pump will be installed in the Niehl district and will consist of three 50 MW modules, along with infrastructure for drawing water from the Rhine. One key advantage of this location is the proximity to a gas-fired power plant operated by RheinEnergie, which provides direct access to Amprion’s high-voltage grid.

 

The facility will use approximately 25,000 cubic metres of Rhine water per hour, extracting heat through a closed-loop system. The heat pump, powered by electricity, will raise the water temperature to up to 110 °C.

 

The hot water will then be fed into Cologne’s main district heating network, covering the city center and the Deutz district on the right bank of the Rhine. The system is expected to supply around 50,000 households. 

 

Source

https://www.heise.de/en/news/Cologne-gets-Europe-s-largest-river-water-heat-pump-10310443.html