In the Netherlands, Sweden-headed energy utility major Vattenfall AB has announced the start-up of a project together with Amsterdam-based energy-from-waste utility AEB Amsterdam to optimize and connect the Amsterdam district heating networks. The district heating project is part of a provisional joint EUR 400 million investment agenda to 2022 between the two companies that will "accelerate the energy transition to heating without natural gas through district heating".

People living in Amsterdam at the moment receive their district heating from two different sources – Vattenfall’s Diemen power station and AEB Amsterdam. The New West and Zuider Amstel areas in Amsterdam are expected to grow with 20 000 homes up until 2025 and will be connected by a 3.8-kilometre long pipeline. This ensures a more climate-friendly and robust network so that the future security of supply can be guaranteed.
In addition to connecting the networks, a heat buffer will be constructed in which 3 600 m3 of hot water can be stored. This allows more heat to be supplied from AEB Amsterdam to the existing grid. An auxiliary heat plant will be installed at the same location for the coldest days of the year to guarantee even more reliable district heating.
The construction of the pipeline will start in March 2019 and construction of the auxiliary heat plant and buffer will start in July 2019.
Vattenfall wants to make fossil-free living possible within one generation. For district heating, this means that we want to change to a fossil-free supply and come to a completely CO2-free heat supply in 2040. By this initiative, we can transfer more residual heat to homes from a source such as waste. Vattenfall is already actively developing and using multiple sustainable sources for its heat network. By connecting the networks, we can add even more sustainable resources and make them available to the entire city, said Alexander van Ofwegen, Director of Vattenfall’s heat operations in the Netherlands.