Koninklijke Heijmans N : Heijmans-Essent win contract for heating and cooling system for part of Binckhorst, The Hague

The Heijmans-Essent consortium and the City of The Hague sign an agreement today for The Hague's second major sustainable geothermal heating and cooling network. All buildings and homes to be built between Trekvlietplein and Maanweg in the Binckhorst district over the next 15 years will be connected to this new sustainable heating and cooling network.

This will involve 5,000 to 7,500 homes and around 110,000 m2 of commercial facilities, such as offices, shops and catering establishments. In addition, it will also be possible to connect existing buildings to the network. This is a significant development in the City of The Hague's ambitions on the energy transition front.

The city council wants to use as many local renewable energy sources as possible for the city's energy supply. This is a perfect fit with Heijmans-Essent's vision on this front. The consortium was awarded the contract after the City of The Hague put it out to European tender. The contact includes the exclusive right to design, build and operate the heating and cooling network at its own risk and expense. The main reasons The Hague chose Heijmans-Essent included the low CO2 emissions, the affordability for future residents and entrepreneurs and the consortium's client satisfaction approach.

Arjen Kapteijns, alderman Sustainability, Energy Transition and Climate Adaptation: "It's great that we can actually realise a sustainable energy system for this part of the Binckhorst district. And that residents and entrepreneurs in the district will soon be using clean, renewable and affordable energy. This is good for the energy transition in the city."

Heijmans-Essent is deploying a combination of geothermal energy (thermal energy storage system) and aquathermy. This second technique will extract heat from the surface water of the Trekvliet canal and drinking water. The extraction of heat from drinking water on this scale is unique in the Netherlands. Using these two sources, the heating and cooling network will ensure an energy-efficient, robust and affordable energy supply in the district.

"This project is in line with Heijmans' strategic direction, as we look to be active on a broader scale in the energy chain. Not only do we design, realise and maintain energy systems, we will now also operate this energy system with our partner Essent. This is how we create a healthy living environment together," says Maarten Kokshoorn, Manager at Heijmans Energy.

"Together with our partner Heijmans, we are proud to play a significant role in the heating and cooling supply for the residents of The Hague. With this project, we are bringing the innovative ectogrid™ energy system, designed by our parent company E.ON, to the Netherlands. Ectogrid™ optimises energy flows and makes a direct contribution to climate and sustainability goals, while keeping energy bills affordable. This is how we at Essent contribute to the acceleration of the energy transition," says Essent CEO Resi Becker.

The contract starts in September 2023 and will be implemented in two phases, the development phase and the operational phase. The consortium will make a start on the initial design in 2023. During the development phase, the two parties will design and build the heating and cooling network. The energy supply will start in 2027, when the first building is connected. The rest of the buildings will be connected between then and 2038. Heijmans-Essent (in which both parties have a 50% stake) will supply local heating and cooling for 30 years from then on. Between 2027 and 2038, revenue will increase from € 0.5 million to a forecast annual revenue of around € 6 million.

Heijmans Energy and Essent Energy Infrastructure Solutions are joining forces in 'Trekvliet Energie B.V.' The two partners are complementary to each other. Heijmans Energy brings the knowledge of designing and realising energy systems and experience in real estate developments. Essent Energy Infrastructure Solutions offers knowledge and experience of innovative heating technologies, the energy market and the client process related to energy exploitation.