Hamburg’s coal phase-out comes with large 'green heat' projects

Once the Tiefstack coal plant is converted into a clean energy park in 2030, this would drop emissions from heat in the city by 70% to 80%

Today, Hamburg’s Senator for the Environment, Jens Kerstan, presented the city’s concept for a coal phase-out. The main point of the plan is for the city to lean heavily on the combined heat and power plant Tiefstack for the time being and gradually introduce replacement capacities until 2030.

These replacement energy sources include climate-neutral heating, as well as renewable energy sources. The most interesting project Minister Kerstan presented involved building two flow energy heat facilities on two large rivers in the city, the Norderlebe and the Bille.

According to a statement by the city, their combined output would be among the largest green energy production facilities in Germany. Furthermore, the Tiefstack plant would see the addition of heat pumps, waste incineration plants and will take advantage of waste heat from industry, which will truly turn it into a clean energy park.  

Heavy CO2 emissions cuts in the next decade

Hamburg authorities claim that completing the Tiefstack clean energy park would lead to a 70% to 80% reduction in carbon emissions. The full project should be completed by 2030 at the latest.

The clean energy complex would source heat from a nearby copper smelter facility, Aurubis, and the Borsigstrasse waste incineration plant. However, authorities have also said that they would still allow the occasional use of natural gas in the plant, to fill the gaps at peak consumption. Furthermore, the gas installation would also allow them to use biomass, instead of gas.

In terms of energy efficiency, though, Senator Kerstan said that Tiefstack will also have a wind-to-heat plant, a large heat storage facility and a seasonal aquifer storage facility to increase flexibility and round off the concept. Thus, he explained, despite the continued occasional reliance on coal and gas to fill in energy supplies, when complete, Tiefstack would make the largest contribution towards Hamburg’s climate goals.

This is because of the flow heat pumps, which will take advantage of the natural force of the rivers. They will allow the clean energy park to contribute the biggest share of green energy to the local supply, with a combined output of an estimated 230 megawatts. This is enough to power 130,000 with green heat and would be one of the largest systems of its kind in Germany.