St.Gallen energy provider heats with waste heat from industry
The energy supplier energienetz GSG AG is building a low-temperature heating network in the west of the city of St.Gallen. It utilises the waste heat from industrial and commercial operations to supply properties with heating or cooling.
According to a press release from St.Gallen’s municipal utilities, the heating network of energienetz GSG AG will use industrial waste heat to provide environmentally friendly heating. To this end, the energy supplier energienetz GSG, which was founded at the end of September 2018 by the cities of St.Gallen, Gossau and Gaiserwald and St.Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG(SAK), is building a low-temperature heating network in the west of the city of St.Gallen that uses waste heat from industrial and commercial enterprises to supply properties with heating or cooling. In this way, fossil fuels can be saved and CO2 emissions reduced, according to the press release. Further areas are to be developed in the coming years.
Waste heat is generated in many processes, such as the cooling of products and rooms, in data centres and in the manufacturing industry. Some companies use it themselves, but some generate more than they can utilise internally. The low-temperature heat network, also known as the anergy network, utilises the surplus energy to heat or cool the surrounding properties.
The city of St.Gallen and SAK each hold a 47.4 per cent stake in the initiator and operator of energienetz GSG, while the municipality of Gaiserwald holds a 5.2 per cent stake. The aim is to supply a large part of the area between St.Gallen Winkeln, Gossau Mettendorf and Gaiserwald with heating and cooling from industrial waste heat by 2050.
“In this way, we can substantially reduce CO2 emissions in the perimeter, utilise local resources and increase energy efficiency in the companies,” says Simon Schoch, Managing Director of energienetz GSG and Head of Technical Sales at St.Gallen Stadtwerke.