Post by Fiona J. Cooper

STRABAG to build world’s largest #heatpump in #Germany. Austrian #construction company #Strabag has been awarded the contract to #build what it claims will be the world’s largest #heat #pump. Strabag’s #Umwelttechnik division will build the river-source heat pump at the Grosskraftwerk Mannheim (GKM) #powerplant site in southwest Germany. The Mannheim-based #energy company MVV Energie AG is investing up to €200 million in the project, which will supply climate-friendly district heat to as many as 40,000 households in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area. Construction is expected to start in mid-2026, with #commissioning scheduled for winter 2028. The #installation will consist of two modules, each providing 82.5 MW of output, together delivering 165 MW. Using Rhine river water as a heat source and the natural refrigerant isobutane, the system will generate district #heating water at temperatures up to 130°C. Funded under Germany’s federal programme for efficient heating networks (BEW), the project is part of MVV’s goal to fully decarbonise Mannheim’s district heating supply by 2030. MVV chief #technical officer Dr Hansjörg Roll said, “Thanks to #energy from #thermal waste treatment, our biomass combined heat and #power plant, and the first river-source heat pump, we are already able to cover nearly 50 percent of our district heating needs from #renewable sources.” Strabag will deliver the project using its in-house #design-and-#build expertise in #industrial plant #engineering, supported by its Heat Pump Alliance partnership with Atlas Copco Energas. The system’s core #technology relies on Atlas Copco’s turbo compressors, used in more than 7,000 applications worldwide. Strabag CEO Stefan Kratochwill said, “The #Mannheim contract strengthens our position as a partner for future-oriented, climate-neutral #water and energy #infrastructure. We are proud to be working with #MVV to make an active contribution to the decarbonisation of urban heating and energy supply.” https://lnkd.in/eN5tM9Zy