Partnership for waste heat utilization: The Niederrhein district heating network (FVN) and hyssenkrupp Steel are intensifying their cooperation to utilize unused industrial waste heat for the FVN district heating network and make the region’s energy supply more sustainable.
Fernwärmeverbund Niederrhein (FVN) and Thyssenkrupp Steel have signed a letter of intent to further expand their long-standing partnership for the use of industrial waste heat. The aim is to tap unused waste heat potential from Thyssenkrupp Steel for the FVN’s district heating network and thus make an important contribution to the region’s sustainable energy supply. This will enable up to 7,000 additional households to be supplied with climate-neutral district heating.
District heating and cooling generation
As part of the letter of intent, several plants, such as the walking beam furnaces of hot strip mill 2, the processing plants in Beeckerwerth and the Beeckerwerth water management plant, will be examined for the possible use of surplus unavoidable waste heat for district heating supply. The technical and economic feasibility will be examined in detail. In addition, the integration of special chillers for cooling in summer is being investigated. These machines will use surplus heat to generate district cooling, which will then be fed into the district cooling network of Thyssenkrupp Steel in Beeckerwerth.
Advantages for both partners
The use of industrial waste heat offers considerable advantages for both partners. The integration of unused waste heat sources and the efficient use of existing resources can reduce the use of fossil fuels and thus CO2 emissions. In total, the partners will be able to supply up to 40,000 households in the Lower Rhine region with climate-friendly district heating. Peter Petri, Head of Energy and Media Management at Thyssenkrupp Steel, explains: “By using our waste heat, we can not only reduce our energy costs, but also make a significant contribution to sustainability. This partnership shows how industry and energy supply can work hand in hand for a greener future.” Josef Kremer, Managing Director of Fernwärmeverbund Niederrhein Duisburg/Dinslaken: “The use of unavoidable waste heat is an essential building block for the district heating suppliers on the Lower Rhine, which are supplied by FVN, as part of the transformation of the heat supply, which must be completely climate-neutral by 2045. Only with climate-neutral heat sources can the future viability of district heating systems be secured in the long term. In addition, the long-standing, trusting partnership with Thyssenkrupp Steel strengthens our position as a leading provider of sustainable heat supply in the region.”
