Press release - The largest seawater heat pump in Denmark is to be delivered from Switzerland

The danish heating company DIN Forsyning in Esbjerg has reached an important milestone in replacing heat supplied from the coal fired power station by placing contracts for the two main new production units located to be at Esbjerg Harbor.

In their 2030 strategy DIN Forsyning is pursuing a 100 % fossil free heat production with zero loss of applied resources. With two major contracts for a seawater heat pump and a biomass boiler plant with flue gas condensation the goal is much closer.

The world’s largest seawater heat pump based on CO₂ provided by MAN Energy Solutions

MAN Energy Solutions Switzerland Ltd will deliver the 50 MW ETES seawater heat pump system to DIN Forsyning in Denmark. It will be the backbone in the future build at Esbjerg Harbor housing a green district heating production to nearly 100.000 inhabitants.

In the process of selecting the seawater-based heat pump it has been essential to DIN Forsyning and the Danish Environmental authorities to protect the sensitive environment of the Wadden Sea, which is a Natura2000 protection area and on the Unesco World heritage list.

The 50MW heat pump system will be the largest sea water heat pump in Denmark, and it will be the largest heat pump in the world using CO2 as refrigerant. In case of an unlikely leak the CO2 is completely harmless for the marine environment. Furthermore, the MAN Energy Solutions heat pump system has a high performance providing DIN Forsyning with a broad operation window.

The flexibility of the heat pump technology enables DIN Forsyning to take full use of the electrical grid connection delivering electrical balancing service on very short notice by increasing or reducing the electrical energy consumption.

The biomass boiler plant will be sister with plant in Espoo

To fulfill the heat demand of supply in the future heating production setup, a 60 MW biomass boiler plant will be built to operate in parallel with 50MW heat pump. The plant is to be delivered by the Finnish company KPA Unicon Oy. The biomass plant will be a sister to a plant in the city Espoo near the Finnish capital Helsinki.

It will be a bubbling fluid bed boiler with flue gas condensation which, in combination with heat pump, reaches 119% thermal efficiency. The boiler and flue gas condenser are a wastewater free solution – all condensate water is cleaned to the stringent requirement. The boiler and flue gas condenser are delivered as a turn-key contract by KPA Unicon Oy, Finland with a contract signed 22 December 2020.

The seawater heat pump and the biomass boiler plant are scheduled to be put into operation April 1th 2023, when the local Combined Heat and Power station shuts down.

Facts about DIN Forsyning

• Number of employees: 230
• Equity: DKK 3.45 billion.
• Revenue 2019: DKK 852 million 
• Number of heat meters: 26,599
• District heating pipes (double wiring): 1,000 km
• Annual heat sales: 3.5 million GJ

The green heating for the future project
DIN Forsyning has launched a plan for converting the heat produced on coal to sustainable heat generation.

The project will combine many small and different solutions, linked to a central distribution network. It provides a flexible electricity-powered utilization of waste heat from waste to energy plant, local industry, wastewater treatment, seawater, future data centers, and eFuel plants.

It is a modular solution, as each part is only used, when reasonable – economically and environmentally.

Read more about the green heating project on fremtidensfjernvarme.dk

Contact information

From DIN Forsyning

Kenneth Jørgensen
Leading project director for the heating of the future project at DIN Forsyning
E-mail: kej(a)dinforsyning.dk
Direkte: +45 74747290
Mobil: +45 40235855

From MAN Energy Solutions Switzerland Ltd

Alexandre de Rougemont
Head of Sales Turbo Solutions - STSO
P +41 44 278-3582
M +41 79 174-8222
alexandre.derougemont(a)man-es.com

Roberto Rubichi
Communication / Marketing Manager
P +41 44 278-3325
F  +41 44 278-2261
roberto.rubichi(a)man-es.com

From KPA Unicon Oy

Ada Herranen
Project Development Manager
Tel. +358 407164328
Ada.herranen(a)kpaunicon.com

Pentti Savolainen
Project Manager
Tel. +358 405376111
Pentti.savolainen(a)kpaunicon.com