Since December 2020, the project for Mannheim-based energy company MVV has covered more than half the heat requirements of the Merseburg district heat network, around 80 million KWh per year, using waste heat from the TREA Leuna Energy from Waste plant.

The technical implementation of the heat extraction system involved:

• Adapting the exhaust gas cooling section to recover energy from the exhaust gas via a water heat exchanger (around 4.5 MW per line)
• Assuring the necessary cooling of the exhaust gas
• Heat transfer to the district heating network via an intermediate circuit including secondary cooling to discharging surplus heat, network pumps, and building a heat exchanger station.

Hitachi Zosen Inova Deutschland was responsible for planning, delivery, assembly, commissioning and documentation of the entire scope of the processes supplied. Despite the technical challenges, the plant officially went into regular operation in December 2020.

The TREA Leuna district heat extraction project is a prime example of a true energy transition in Germany that also assures a sustainable supply of heat. Heat can now be generated for the Merseburg district heating network to a large extent without fossil fuels, reducing carbon emissions by up to 16,000 tonnes a year. The residents of Merseburg benefit from permanently low-priced district heat, regardless of oil and gas prices. Homeowners who use district heat from the supply area also profit because the certified energy performance of their buildings is improved.

More information can be found on the MVV website: https://www.mvv.de/de/journalisten/pressemitteilungen/detail/offizielle-inbetriebnahme-umweltfreundliche-fernwaerme-fuer-merseburg