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Milestone reached: Hamburg's new district heating tunnel becomes reality!
The construction of the new district heating tunnel in Hamburg reaches a milestone: pipes are connected, a geothermal system is created.
Milestone reached: Hamburg's new district heating tunnel becomes reality!
The people of Hamburg see light at the end of the tunnel – and that is meant literally! Important progress was achieved with the construction of the new district heating tunnel that runs across the Elbe. The tunnel boring machine “Hermine” has reached its destination on the north bank of the Elbe almost a year after work began. The pipe connection is now ready because the steel pipes in the tunnel have already been completely welded together ndr.de reported.
The connection of the pipes in the two tunnel shafts at Bubendey-Ufer in the south and at Hindenburgpark in the north marks a significant step. In the future, the southern line will connect the Hafen Energy Park with the existing district heating network in the west of Hamburg. Before the holidays are around the corner, the pipes should be filled with heating water and flushed. After this flushing, the pipes are isolated and the start and finish shafts can be closed. This work is expected to be completed in around six months. In addition, Hindenburg Park will be restored to its former English style, which will also enhance the cityscape.
On the way to climate-neutral heat supply
The tunnel construction is part of the city of Hamburg's ambitious plan to phase out coal by 2030 at the latest and become climate neutral by 2045. The Wedel coal-fired thermal power plant in Schleswig-Holstein is scheduled to be shut down at the end of 2025, which could save up to 360,000 tons of CO2 per year. The new district heating tunnel will bring heat from a future energy park in the port to the western districts of Hamburg. The centerpiece of this energy park is a gas and steam turbine power plant on the Dradenau peninsula, which can even process hydrogen content of up to 30 percent, reports n-tv.de.
Another exciting project is being realized in Wilhelmsburg: a geothermal system with a heat output of around 6 megawatts is being planned. This will provide heat to over 4,700 households and uses thermal water with a temperature of 48°C. Construction of the heating house at the geothermal energy site is scheduled to begin in spring 2024; Early work on pipeline construction has already begun. The planned increase in efficiency is intended to increase the number of households supplied to over 6,000, which shows that geothermal energy is becoming increasingly important as the third pillar of renewable energy in Germany. Further details about the projects in Wilhelmsburg are presented hamburg.de.
Hamburg citizens can find out about the current heat supply in the city on the “Hamburg Heat Portal” and see how the plans for the heat transition are progressing. There is hope that these measures will not only advance climate protection, but also noticeably improve the quality of life in the city.