The Lünen biomass power plant (BMK), which has been operated by Iqony Energies and Remondis since 2006, is to be comprehensively modernised and expanded for heat extraction by 2028. In addition to the conversion of the existing power plant, the construction of an additional heating plant is planned. The aim is to supply up to 90,000 MWh of climate-friendly heat to Stadtwerke Lünen every year – enough to supply around 16,500 households.
„This 15 million € investment in heating makes it clear that the heating transition is happening locally“, says Andreas Böffel, Managing Director of BMK at Iqony Energies. „Stadtwerke Lünen is already a pioneer in district heating. However, a large part of the heat currently comes from the local coal-fired power plant. The use of the new biomass cogeneration plant will significantly improve the climate balance. District heating will become greener and remain secure, and at the same time we are investing heavily in Lünen as a location.“
The current plant generates 20 MW of electrical power. The installation of a new heating condenser will enable heat to be fed into the municipal utility company's district heating network in future. With an investment volume of 15 million €, the partners are strengthening the local energy transition.
Heating is to become climate-neutral from 2028
Jean-Michael Hachmann, Managing Director of BMK at Remondis Region West, also emphasises the forward-looking nature of the project: „This project is all about the future. We are decarbonising Lünen's district heating supply, thereby strengthening environmental compatibility, but also security of supply and affordability. After all, the more climate-neutral sources are used, the less impact the CO2 taxes, which will continue to rise in the future, will have. It's a win-win-win situation.“
For Stadtwerke Lünen, the project is an important step towards climate neutrality: „By extracting thermal energy from the biomass power plant, we will be switching the district heating supply to renewable heat as early as 2028“, says Urs Reitis, co-managing director of Stadtwerke Lünen. „This means that district heating in Lünen will become climate-neutral well ahead of the national target year of 2045 and will develop into a reliable, future-proof component of our city's sustainable energy supply.“
Lünen is thus positioning itself as a pioneer in the municipal heat transition – with a clear commitment to sustainable, regionally generated energy.
