Enercity is building a 50 MW power-to-heat plant in Hanover to support its coal phase-out, decarbonize district heating, and absorb surplus renewable electricity. The facility will expand the utility’s flexibility by converting excess power into heat for the district heating network and storage systems.
German energy provider Enercity is constructing a 50 MW power-to-heat plant as part of its coal phase-out strategy and efforts to decarbonize district heating production. The project is also intended to help relieve pressure on electricity grids by absorbing surplus renewable power.
According to Enercity, the steadily increasing generation from wind and photovoltaic installations is “leading to periods of very low or negative electricity prices and placing growing pressure on the grids.” The company said it is therefore expanding its “ability to absorb such electricity surpluses in a targeted manner and make them available for heat supply.”
At the historic Herrenhausen power plant, located in Herrenhausen, a district in the northwest of Hanover, Lower Saxony, Enercity has operated a 20 MW thermal electrode boiler since 2020. The capacity of this unit is set to increase to 26 MW. Once completed, the new 50 MW facility will significantly increase the utility’s power-to-heat capacity.
