Warsaw’s plans to heat the city with metro’s waste heat

With almost two million inhabitants, 80% of which are already connected to the District Heating (DH) network, Warsaw’s heat detox faces many challenges. However, lowering energy prices and improving citizens’ health are important incentives for the city to decouple from coal and deliver healthy and local-sourced heat. 

An essential heat detox

Warsaw has committed to a 40% CO2 emission reduction objective by 2030 and seeks to become climate neutral by 2050. The largest part of this emission reduction should be deriving from energy savings in buildings  and emission reduction from the district heating network. 

Warsaw’s climate commitments have also positive effects on the local economy, quality of life and energy security. In autumn 2021, energy prices have skyrocketed in Poland, so reducing dependency on fossil fuels and increasing the share of renewables, allowing more local sourcing, became a priority. Transitioning to cleaner energy sources reduces local emissions, thus helping improve air quality in the city. What’s more, modernising the heating infrastructure can enhance energy efficiency, leading to lower energy consumption and reduced operational costs. Finally, investment in modern heating technologies can create jobs and stimulate local economic growth through infrastructure development.

A long-term plan for a decarbonised future

In 2022 the ‘Model of Energy for Warsaw’ was setting out the future for Warsaw’s DH by 2050 – with the following directions: 

• Maintaining functionality in the perspective of the next decades with a tendency to gradually exclude from use network sections that will not be necessary for the operation of the entire system.
• Gradual reduction of the share of energy market sources in favor of the installation of multi-stage heat pumps. Heat pumps are the basis for satisfying the thermal needs of Warsaw residents. However, they will not fully ensure energy security in this regard. The problem of non-simultaneous production of energy from renewable sources with the demand for electricity to drive heat pumps will be eliminated in the next several years by increasing the availability of energy storage, not only for electricity.
• Integration of renewable energy was planned on Warsaw buildings (roofs and facades of high-rise buildings), reducing also the need for DH.

Beyond the DH company; Warsaw’s local government is committed to implementing programs and conduct information and educational campaigns in order to promote clean energy and heating systems as part of the city’s energy transition:

• Cooperation with large energy companies as well as organisations and companies operating in the energy sector;
• Development of mechanism allowing to increase passive construction and thermal refurbishment of buildings; 
• Promoting heat pumps and geothermal energy.

District heating at the heart of Warsaw’s heat strategy

District heating is the core of the city’s heat strategy, as it currently covers 80% of Warsaw’s heat demand.  In cooperation with Veolia, Warsaw’s DH company, 70% of energy is sourced from hard coal with cogeneration. The remaining 30% come from  wood pellets (3-5%) and sewage heat pumps (2-3 installations). Hybrid heat pump installations are planned also at building levels (combined with PV/solar thermal on top of the condominium).

Warsaw’s detox of the DH system is planned mainly from two sources with the objective to eliminate coal by 100% by 2035:  exploiting waste heat from the metro system, sewage system (in cooperation with Warsaw Water company) and from datacentres, and exploring Geothermal energy  with hot water storage. (90k m3 hot water can be stored currently for 24-36h). 

A 3^rd metro line is under construction in Warsaw; three metro stations are designed ahead in a way that they are adaptable to use the metro waste heat for district heating in cooperation with Danish companies, such as Danfoss, GEA and Ramboll. In parallel, a secondary direct DH system loop is being planned ahead to supply metro waste heat directly to nearby municipal buildings (kindergardens, schools etc.) following the example of London. This system is currently in designing phase until the end of 2024, and implementation is set to start in 2025, ‘producing’ waste heat energy for the DH system from 2026. 

Main challenges to detoxify heat: 

1. Changing the energy mix and using waste heat.
2. Transition to renewable sources involves finance and technical challenges related to supply, storage, and distribution.
3. Development of the Intelligent Heat Distribution Network.
4. Promotion of energy efficiency - the cheapest energy is the unused one
5. Energy poverty - navigating energy poverty during the heating transition requires a multifaceted approach that includes policy support, community engagement, and investments in technology. By addressing these challenges, Waraw is  working towards a more equitable energy future.

Next steps:

• A feasibility study for integration waste heat from the subway in DH system is under development.  

Where they are in the heat strategy :

Warsaw's Heat Detox:

Key Heat Figures:

• Km of DHC currently: 1906 km (2023)
• Km of DHC planned: additional 40km by 2027
• Renewables in heating system: 538 GWh (2023)
• Annual DH consumption: 8,8 TWh (2023)
• Nearly 80% of Warsaw’s residents use district heating

Covenant of Figures:

• Signatory to the Covenant of Mayors since 2009
• 2020 - ACCESS City Award
• EU Climate Change Adaptation Mission  
• Mission of 100 Climate Neutral Cities by 2030