Germany – Industrial units construction work – Flusswasserwärmepumpe Elbe - Los 1.1 Wärmepumpe

The SachsenEnergie aims to strategically transform the district heating network of the state capital Dresden step by step and to operate it bilaterally CO2-neutral by 2045 at the latest. A key component of this transformation strategy is the planning and construction of a large heat pump with a thermal capacity of 50 MW. The plant is to use water from the Elbe as a heat source and will cover approximately 16% of Dresden's total district heating demand after it is commissioned. The implementation of the large heat pump is associated with special technical, structural and regulatory challenges. The planned site of the plant is partially located in a designated floodplain of the Elbe, which results in increased requirements for flood protection, building sealing and operational safety. In addition, the construction is taking place in the sensitive area of the historic Dresden city centre, which means that aspects of monument, environmental and emission protection play a particular role. The immediate proximity to the bridge of the Deutsche Bahn and surrounding event venues also requires close coordination with the involved infrastructure operators as well as the consideration of static, construction-logistical and safety-related boundary conditions. The planning and subsequent implementation of the project is carried out in a division of labour in cooperation with several specialised planning offices. The division of tasks is as follows: • plant engineering planning of the large heat pump including all associated process engineering and energy engineering components, • structural planning of the building to accommodate the heat pump system, • hydraulic engineering planning of the intake and outlet structures on the Elbe as well as the intake and outlet lines between the Elbe and the building.