Bremen plans district heating expansion: Downtown becomes climate-friendly!

Bremen plans district heating expansion: Downtown becomes climate-friendly!

Dechanatstraße, 28195 Bremen, Deutschland - In the Hanseatic city of Bremen, the heat turnaround is just around the corner. The energy service provider SWB plans to gradually connect the downtown Bremen to the district heating. The first steps are already being taken on Dechanatstrasse to make the city more climate -friendly. Dr. Karsten Schneiker, board spokesman for SWB AG, has discussed how important this sustainable heat supply is for the future of the city. The dense development of the city center favors the use of district heating.

on the first section of the new district heating network is worked hard. The first lines have been laid since March 2025 and the work should be completed by the end of June 2025. This is the start of a larger plan, because from 2027 there are further steps to open up the city center in several construction phases. The expansion takes place from the east, whereby the existing district heating network extends to the Bremen-Mitte Clinic.

Planning for the future

The exact route is currently being developed, but the objective is clear: Berlin wants to become climate -neutral by 2035, and a higher proportion of district heating should contribute to this. The district heating share in Bremen is to be doubled from the current 15 percent to 30 percent by 2040. Alexander Kmita, Managing Director of SWB Vertrieb GmbH, speaks of transition solutions for existing and new customers, while Dr. Thomas Wernicke from Wesernetz GmbH asks for patience and understanding for possible construction sites and traffic impairments.

The perspective could not be more promising: the district heating line management taken in operation in autumn 2024 connects the supply areas Horn-Lehe/University and Bremen-Ost. A large part of the currently fed-up district heating comes from the thermal waste recycling in the garbage heating unit in Findorff and the medium-caloric power plant in the harbor. In the future, district heating should also be generated completely climate -neutral.

A big step towards reducing CO₂ emissions

The planned expansion of the district heating networks aims to connect many buildings with high heat requirements, which are currently still heated with natural gas or heating oil. The city of Bremen not only wants to reduce CO₂ emissions when heating, but also make a significant contribution to the global climate targets and thus progress on the way to climate neutrality.

The initiative of the SWB is not only a profit for the environment, but also brings new perspectives for downtown Bremen. The city dwellers can look forward to more sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly heat supply. It remains to be hoped that everyone involved will understand the upcoming changes as an opportunity and take on the necessary adjustments with a positive view of the future.

For further information on the topic, the reporting of energy.de stadt-und-werk.de