In the Westland region of the Netherlands, work is underway on a future-proof heat supply system based on heating networks powered by geothermal heat. Energy and waste company HVC is taking an important step in reducing natural gas consumption and CO₂ emissions in greenhouse horticulture and the built environment.
The heating network is being installed in phases. Multiple sources of geothermal heat can be developed due to the high, continuous demand for heat from greenhouse horticulture in Westland. Therefore, these companies form the basis of the sustainable heat supply.
In the start-up phase, heat is temporarily supplied to the built environment via conventional installations to guarantee continuity. Once the geothermal heat sources are fully operational, they will continuously provide sustainable heat extracted from deep within the Earth.
The geothermal sources provide a stable heat flow with sufficient capacity that also allows homes to be connected. Moreover, the scale of greenhouse horticulture ensures a good balance between supply and demand, which means that the heating network remains economically robust.
The link between the networks at Maasdijk and Polanen is an important component of this robustness. This link increases reliability through redundancy and makes the heating network more flexible and stable with future extensions, benefitting both residents and horticulturists.
The realisation of the heating networks and geothermal heat projects is possible thanks to a financing structure involving a consortium of banks, including BNG. This contributes to the energy transition, and the Westland heating network demonstrates how public parties, the market and financiers can work together to achieve a scalable, sustainable energy solution.
Terrence Roep
Relationship Manager
