Area transformer gives the starting signal for the strategic expansion of the district heating network in Leopoldstadt
Vienna (OTS) – Last year, Wien Energie identified four pioneering areas in which district heating will be strategically expanded: Rossau (1090), Gumpendorfer Straße (1060), Huber Block (1160) and the Allied Quarter (1020). The starting signal is now given in the Allied Quarter in Vienna’s Leopoldstadt. Here, Wiener Energie is currently building an “area converter” (also called “GUFO”) together with Wiener Netze. With this heat exchanger system, Wien Energie will be able to route district heating from the central network to the Allied District in the future. “We have a clear goal: an affordable and livable city with an independent heat supply! For Vienna to be fit for the future, a well-developed and powerful district heating network is needed. “We are investing over a billion euros here over the next five years to further advance the decarbonization of the city,” says Peter Hanke, City Councilor for Economic Affairs and Vienna Public Utilities.
Together with the Grätzler renewal project WienNeu+ and the dedicated urban renewal area management team, Wien Energie will approach the residents of the pioneering area of the Allied Quarter in the coming weeks and inform them.
District heating expansion in the Allied District: step by step
So that the residents of the Allied Quarter can be supplied with district heating in the future, Wien Energie and Wiener Netze are building a high-performance district heater underground in addition to a main district heating line (so-called primary line), which will lead from Taborstrasse to Nordbahnstrasse. “We are now getting started and are starting the district heating expansion in the Alliedviertel pioneer area. Together with organizations in the city, we want to gain important experience for a future-fit Vienna. Our long-term goal is to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in heat generation by 2040 and thus become independent of global energy crises and skyrocketing wholesale prices.”said Michael Strebl, CEO of Wien Energie.
In a first step, an underground structure the size of around three allotment garden sheds will be built by September this year. The heat exchangers and pumps will be installed from spring 2025 so that commissioning can take place as early as autumn 2025. The surrounding, connected buildings can then be supplied with district heating via district heating secondary lines that will be built in the pioneer area of the Allied Quarter starting this spring.
GUFO: Underground highway exit for district heating
The GUFO extracts heat from the central network (consisting of primary lines), which is responsible for transporting water at around 145 degrees, and transfers it to the local network (so-called secondary lines). Depending on the outside temperature, the water there has a temperature of between 63 and 90 degrees Celsius. This is more than enough to heat homes to comfortable temperatures. A GUFO is something like a highway exit for district heating, where the high temperature is reduced to a lower one.
As early as February, Wien Energie will start building the first district heating pipeline in Schweidlgasse. Springergasse follows in summer. “Springergasse is the best example of successful collaboration with the city of Vienna. As part of the planned renovation measures on MA 28, we are laying the district heating pipes and connecting the buildings that want to to the district heating.”adds Strebl.
Strategic district heating expansion in pioneering areas
In the coming years, Wien Energie will invest 50 million euros in the strategic expansion of district heating in the pioneering areas mentioned. The aim is to gain as much experience as possible and to make the best possible use of synergies with other organizations and institutions in the City of Vienna in order to advance the further expansion process and the conversion from gas to alternative heating systems. At the same time, district heating is also being gradually expanded in areas with very high heat demand density, especially in inner-city areas. In order for Vienna’s district heating to become completely climate-neutral by 2040, the use of waste heat through the use of large heat pumps and geothermal energy plays a key role.
More information: www.rausausgas.at
Image material: https://bit.ly/3udALCn
Questions & Contact:
Vienna Energy GmbH
Franziska Bauer-Hartig
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+43 664 88481304
franziska.bauer-hartig@wienenergie.at