New heating plant in Emmen goes into operation
The utility Energie Wasser Luzern (ewl) has opened the new heating centre at the RUAG site in Emmen. The plant is expected to produce 22 gigawatt hours per year. CHF 31 million will be invested in the district heating expansion in Emmen.
Energie Wasser Luzern(ewl) opened its new heating centre in Emmen on Tuesday, 4 April. It is located at the site of the RUAG armaments factory. According to a press release, the utility ewl expects to sell about 22 gigawatt hours of heat per year when it is completed. This corresponds to the heating needs of about 2200 four-person households. This will save a total of about 4,600 tonnes of CO2 per year in the region, according to the ewl statement.
The opening of the Emmen Dorf heating plant was carried out by Fernwärme Luzern AG, a subsidiary of ewl Luzern, together with the building lease provider RUAG Real Estate and representatives of the municipality of Emmen. It is described as an important milestone in the regional district heating expansion. In total, Fernwärme Luzern AG invested around 31 million Swiss francs in the expansion of the district heating network in Emmen Dorf, with around 8 million Swiss francs going into the new control centre, including buildings and facilities.
“The building lease to Fernwärme Luzern AG and the completion of this heating centre are the prerequisites for RUAG’s big ecological step – namely connection to the district heating network from the 2023/24 heating period. For RUAG, this will result in a reduction of around 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year,” Matthias Hauswirth, RUAG’s Chief Real Estate Officer, is quoted as saying.
After the start of construction in February 2022, delivery problems in the wake of the Ukraine war led to delays and uncertainties, according to a statement by Patrik Rust, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ewl. The fact that the project was completed on time is thanks to the great commitment, good cooperation and constructive exchange between the planning team, the construction companies and RUAG Real Estate as the lender of the building rights.