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On 29 February 2024, Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever pressed the symbolic start button to kick off the Antwerp North Heat Network. A pipeline network across the port of Antwerp links the sites of Indaver Antwerp and malting company Boortmalt. From now on, Boortmalt will use residual heat from Indaver as a substitute for natural gas and CHP to produce malt. In addition, this network is the first 'open access' heat network in Belgium, offering opportunities for new suppliers and customers.
The connection point for a residential heat network to the social housing of Woonhaven Antwerp has also been constructed. This heat network represents significant savings on fossil fuels and a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. It receives financial support from the Flemish government through the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency.
Heat network fed by industrial residual heat
'Residual heat' is heat that is generated during an industrial production process. A heat network fed with residual heat is an alternative to heating with fossil fuels. It consists of a network of well-insulated pipes that transport hot water from one place (industry) to another (industry and residences) for various heat applications.
In the Antwerp North Heat Network, the residual heat comes from the rotary kilns of Indaver where industrial waste is thermally processed. The heat from combustion is utilized in the form of electricity. However, residual heat still remains in this process. It is this residual heat that is supplied to Boortmalt, which has committed to using the heat in its malt production process in the long term.
The heat is transported from Indaver to Boortmalt at a temperature of approximately 105°C, about 10 km away in the harbor. The cooled water (65°C) flows back to Indaver through a second pipeline to be reused.
The Boortmalt site in Antwerp is the world’s largest malting production site. With a production capacity of 470,000 tons per year, it produces the malt used to brew approximately 16 billion beers per year. Significant amounts of heat are required during the malt process. In the past, Boortmalt used combined heat and power systems and gas burners to produce this process heat. By utilizing residual heat, Boortmalt saves an amount of natural gas equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 10,000 households. This large-scale installation now supplies 50% of the heat needed to run the malting plant, saving Boortmalt 30,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
Second phase: residential network
Now that the industrial heat network is completed, the way is clear for the connection of a residential network. This will be constructed by Fluvius in the coming years and will allow the heat supply of schools, public buildings and 3,200 households of two high rise districts in the north of Antwerp to be made more sustainable.
Reduction of CO2 emissions by 80,000 tonnes per year, for the full project
For this network, the transition from fossil fuel to waste heat means a reduction in CO2 emissions of 80,000 tonnes per year (when the full capacity of the heat network will be used). This corresponds to the annual CO2 emissions of 25 000 Antwerp households.
Open access
An exceptional feature of this network is that it is the first 'open access' network in Belgium. Any company in the port that is a heat producer and/or wants to source heat is welcome to connect. The pipeline network runs, among others, along the sites of the so-called 'Next Gen District'. Port of Antwerp-Bruges clusters companies active in the circular economy on this site. These companies can in turn supply or take residual heat from the network.
Collaboration with many partners
In order to facilitate the industrial heat consumer in its sustainability plans and to provide climate-friendly heating to more than 3,200 social housing units over time, cooperation with numerous partners was necessary. Indaver and Port of Antwerp-Bruges jointly built the first part of the line that now supplies heat to Boortmalt. From this industrial heat network, Fluvius will build the second, residential network on behalf of and in cooperation with the City of Antwerp. To this end, agreements were concluded with social housing company Woonhaven Antwerp, among others. Finally, the Flemish government is an important partner through the financial support the project received. The grant is part of the objective to boost the reuse of industrial waste heat and the deployment of heat networks.
Yvan Schaepman, CEO of Boortmalt : “It is amazing to see the power of teams when spirits are well-aligned on the same objective. The heatloop project in Antwerp is the largest CO2-saving project worldwide for Boortmalt. It is massive, and we are progressing well towards our 2035 carbon neutrality ambition.”
