Heating network provider plans joint project company “Wärmeversorgung Bodensee-Therme GmbH” with Stadtwerke Konstanz
The path to a climate-neutral heating supply in Constance/Germany is picking up speed: The municipal council has given the green light for the establishment of a joint project company between Stadtwerke Konstanz, Constance, and Iqony Energies GmbH, Saarbrücken/Germany. The company, which is part of the Steag Iqony Group, Essen/Germany, works with local authorities and municipal utilities to implement and operate sustainable heating networks (Figure 1) – currently at 25 locations across Germany, with more in the pipeline.
The new company, named “Wärmeversorgung Bodensee-Therme GmbH”, is to implement the first heating network in the city of Constance in the area around the Bodensee-Therme – almost entirely based on renewable environmental heat from Lake Constance, supported by modern large heat pumps. “Together with Stadtwerke Konstanz, we will ensure that the transformation to renewable heat supply is as efficient as possible,” says Andreas Loh, Managing Director of Iqony Energies. “In the coming years, the transition to a climate-neutral heat supply will be one of the biggest challenges for local authorities in terms of planning, but also financially – we are a reliable partner for new district heating projects throughout Germany. ”
The project planned in Constance is a central component of local municipal heating planning. “In Iqony Energies, we have gained an experienced partner who will support us not only professionally but also strategically in the implementation of this forward-looking project,” emphasizes Stadtwerke Managing Director Gordon Appel. Around 80 % of the heat requirement in the planned supply area is accounted for by the Bodensee-Therme, the Kliniken Schmieder and the KWA Parkstift Rosenau. A total of around 14 GWh of heat is to be provided in a climate-friendly manner – enough to meet the heating requirements for space heating and hot water of around 1,000 apartments or single-family homes with a living space of 100 m2. An EU and BMWK-funded feasibility study confirmed the viability of the project in 2024 and the project company is equally owned by Stadtwerke Konstanz and Iqony Energies.
Subject to the further course of the project, construction of the heating network is scheduled to begin in 2028. The company is to be formally established by the end of 2025. (Iqony/Si.)
