Utrecht wastewater plant launches largest heat pump in Netherlands

Innomotics, Eneco, and Johnson Controls have energized a large-scale heat pump at a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The system has four heat exchangers, each equipped with two compressors.

Dutch power utility Eneco has commissioned an industrial heat pump at a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Utrecht.

The company said the project is the largest heat pump system in the Netherlands. Project partners were German machine provider Innomotics and US -based Johnson Controls.

“The system harnesses residual heat from 65 million liters of treated wastewater daily, generating 25 MW to 27 MW of heat,” the three companies said in a joint statement. “This translates to 15% of the district heating demand in Utrecht and Nieuwegein or approximately 20,000 households in total.”

The system relies on four heat exchangers, each equipped with two compressors driven by a 1-MW motor provided by Innomotics. It also uses ammonia as the refrigerant.

The heat pump reportedly extracts residual heat from 65 million liters of treated wastewater daily, recovering an additional 1 MW from the motors and drives.

“Eneco spearheaded the development of the facility, Johnson Controls provided the advanced heat pump systems, and Innomotics delivered the cutting-edge motor and drive technologies that ensure its exceptional performance,” the companies said, without providing further technical details. “Combined, the companies have created a replicable model for modern urban renewable energy systems.”