Hamburg completes 80-MW wind-power-to-heat plant

June 9 (Renewables Now) - The construction of an 80-MW power-to-heat plant in Hamburg has been completed and the facility is ready to supply district heating for thousands of households in the northern German city, using excess wind energy, local utility Hamburger Energiewerke said on Friday.

The milestone was celebrated at a ceremony attended by German economy minister Robert Habeck, Schleswig-Holstein's environment minister Tobias Goldschmidt, Hamburg's environment senator Jens Kerstan, the technical director of Hamburger Energiewerke Kirsten Fust, the chief executive of transmission system operator 50Hertz Stefan Kapferer and other guests.

The power-to-heat system, located at the site of the coal-fired thermal power station Wedel, will convert excess electricity generated by wind farms in northern Germany -- both onshore and at sea, to supply heating and hot water to about 27,000 households in Hamburg. The facility will offset up to 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

In addition, the commissioning of the new plant will reduce the use of coal at the coal-fired power station by around 50,000 tonnes per year until its shutdown which is scheduled for 2025.

The construction of the power-to-heat plant began in 2021.