Johnson Controls to Supply Four Large-Scale Heat Pumps for Hamburg Wastewater Heat Project

HAMBURG, Germany -- Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, today announced a new agreement to help the city of Hamburg, Germany, decarbonize its district heating network. As part of a collaborative project between HAMBURG WASSER (Hamburg Water) and Hamburg Energiewerke (Hamburg Energy), Johnson Controls will equip the Dradenau site of Hamburg's central wastewater treatment plant with a new heat pump system that will save around 66,000 tons of CO₂ annually. Detailed engineering is underway and the plant is expected to supply the city with fossil-free heat using the new heat pumps from 2025.

Under the terms of the deal, Johnson Controls will install four large-scale, 15 MW heat pumps that will supply environmentally friendly heat to more than 39,000 residential units. Instead of using fossil-based heating, the heat pumps will extract heat from treated wastewater that leaves the plant each day and feed it into the central district heating system of Hamburg Energie, part of the Energiepark Hafen (the city's Port Energy Park) heating network. The project is among the first large-scale heat pump projects in Germany.

"The electrification of heating and cooling is a key step in the energy transition and in achieving the decarbonization goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Heat pumps play a crucial role in allowing us to harvest untapped, renewable heating resources and pave the way toward a more integrated and sustainable energy system," said Tomas Brannemo, president of Johnson Controls, EMEALA. "As a leader in building technology and with our ability to provide a tailored install and service offering, we are proud to have been chosen for this strategic project and look forward to supporting Hamburg on its journey to becoming CO₂ neutral. The project will raise the bar in the European utility sector for green heating."

"Wastewater is a valuable resource that we have been using for climate-friendly energy generation for some time and the potential of which we are continuing to exploit," explained Ingo Hannemann, technical managing director and spokesman for the Management Board of HAMBURG WASSER. "The residual heat in the treated wastewater is extracted by the heat pumps and fed into the district heating network as usable heat. We are pleased to be able to contribute to the Port Energy Park in this way, and as the city's solution partner, to help launch a project that will supply Hamburg with heat from renewable sources."

"For Hamburg's heat supply, we will be relying on a modular energy system in the future. At our Port Energy Park, we will generate the majority of climate-neutral heat from industrial processes, waste recycling and HAMBURG WASSER's wastewater treatment plant," added Christian Heine, spokesman for the Management of Hamburger Energiewerke. "The Hamburg wastewater heating project is an example of how the heat transition can succeed if we consistently use local energy sources and state-of-the-art technologies."

The heat pumps will be supplied from Johnson Controls' state-of-the-art facility in Nantes, France, one of the company's primary locations for the manufacturing of large-scale refrigeration and heat pump equipment for the EMEA region.

Johnson Controls has a long-standing history in the heat pump field with more than 50 years of experience using sustainable refrigerants at various temperature operating ranges. The company was the first to market with eco-friendly heat pumps in 1982 and today offers the most extensive portfolio of technology and refrigerants in Europe.

In addition to the project with Hamburg Water, Johnson Controls also supplies similar heat pumps to utility companies including EnBW Stuttgart, Stadtwerke Rosenheim and Vienna Energy.

JOHNSON CONTROLS MEDIA CONTACT:

Louise Colledge
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About Johnson Controls:
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SOURCE Johnson Controls International plc