District heating for aviation companies

Hamburger Energiewerke's pipeline will supply 40 megawatts of heat to Lufthansa Technik and 11 megawatts to the airport from mid 2028. This is equivalent to the heating requirements of 17,000 residential units. "District heating will allow us to cut our emissions be two thirds immediately and to heat our hangars in a CO2-neutral manner," said William Willms, CFO of Lufthansa Technik. Hamburg Airport, which currently accounts for around 87 per cent of the remaining greenhouse gas emissions, will also benefit from district heating. "We can save around 80 per cent of these emissions and come much closer to our goal of CO2-free operation by 2035," said Christian Kunsch, CEO of Hamburg Airport. This is in line with the “Net Zero 2035” climate target.

“The addition of the two companies strengthens our growth plans in the north," said Michael Prinz, Managing Director of HEnW. "The new district heating pipeline will enable us to expand our urban heating network there and to replace fossil fuel heating systems in other buildings." This should become a reality from the 2030s. The planned pipeline could also create more synergies and opportunities for the Hamburg-Nord Business Park to create a local heating network nearby. "Together with the business network, the local authority has already identified potential for renewable energy," said Michael Werner-Boelz, head of the Hamburg-Nord district authority.

Lufthansa Technik and Hamburg Airport could now become "role models for other companies and help the city achieve its climate targets faster," according to Jens Kerstan, Senator for the Environment. An expanded network is part of Hamburger Energiewerke's bid to achieve climate neutrality by 2045. The expansion will focus on multi-storey office and residential buildings to replace fossil-fuelled heating systems as quickly as possible. 
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