An increased market share for district heating and changes in district heating production have been two of the greatest contributors to greenhouse gas emission reductions in Stockholm.

50 years ago Stockholm initiated the bold project of building an infrastructure for the distribution of district heating. Today district heating is produced by Fortum and comprises around 80% renewable fuel or energy from waste or residual heat. The district heating system covers nearly 80% of Stockholm’s total heating needs. The district heating network is being continuously expanded to further increase the proportion of district heating in the city.

The conversion from oil heating to district heating has reduced greenhouse gas emission by 593,000 tonnes since 1990. This has also led to reductions in emissions of substances that are hazardous to health.

The city is supplied by four major production plants.

For the production of district cooling, cold water from lakes and the sea is used. In addition, the process utilises the cooling effect that arises in heat pumps that extract energy from seawater or wastewater. The use of district cooling reduces carbon dioxide emissions in Stockholm by about 50,000 tonnes annually. The same heat pumps can be used for both district cooling and district heating depending on the season.

This 1 hour seminar will give you an overview of the district heating and cooling system in Stockholm.

For smaller groups it might also be possible to visit one of the district heating plants, Högdalen CHP plant (Combined Heat and Power), where the city’s waste is used for energy production. For this visit you will need around 2 hours.

Preliminary booking form