Caverion and Stadtwerke Bochum broaden their collaborative efforts

In the heart of the Mark 51°7 industrial park, Bochum's municipal utilities and Caverion Germany are collaborating to create a groundbreaking energy hub. This partnership, aimed at supplying sustainable heat and cooling to connected commercial buildings, is making significant strides.

At the core of this project is the use of mine water, extracted from depths of approximately 340 meters and 800 meters, for heating and cooling purposes. The water used for heating has a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, ideal for providing heat to the district heating network. For cooling purposes, water with a temperature of 17 degrees Celsius is extracted.

Johnson Controls, a renowned manufacturer, is supplying the compression chillers used in this innovative system. These chillers are integral to the system for bringing the mine water to the necessary temperature levels for both heating and cooling.

Heat pumps play a crucial role in this system. They are used to bring the mine water temperature to the required level for heating the connected buildings, while the installed heat pumps cool the mine water to the required level for cooling the connected buildings. Compression chillers are used to cover peak cooling loads.

Manfred Simmet, CEO of Caverion Germany, explains that this collaboration extends beyond simply installing equipment on-site. Caverion is also providing complementary engineering services, with the collaboration now including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and building automation trades. Through Caverion's expertise in building automation, they aim to optimise the potential of the systems for heat and cooling generation.

A combined heat and power plant provides the electrical energy for the technical systems. Heating and refrigeration trades have been commissioned for an additional technical building, further expanding the scope of this ambitious project.

The shared goal is to start supplying connected commercially used buildings with heat and cooling in spring 2026. This collaboration is a significant step towards a more sustainable future for Bochum-Laer's energy supply.