Can we heat entire neighbourhoods with industrial waste heat?
Cerdia energy centre: Large-scale heat pumps for the regional heating transition
of heat per year
%
renewable share in the heating network
of CO₂ saved
Badenova is the leading energy supplier in southern Baden, based in Freiburg, with almost 100 municipalities from the region as shareholders. The company aims to be climate-neutral by 2035 and is actively driving the energy and heating transition in the region.
With the Cerdia energy centre in Freiburg’s northern industrial area, Badenova Wärmeplus is making industrial process waste heat from the chemical industry available to the municipal district heating network for the first time – thereby securing the heat supply for thousands of households.
Starting point
The Freiburg-West heating network is to be fully converted to renewable heat sources by 2035. This requires new generation facilities capable of harnessing the region’s industrial waste heat potential. The Freiburg-based company Cerdia, located in the northern industrial area, develops innovative cellulose-based materials that meet the requirements of the new Microplastics Regulation and are used as future-oriented solutions for a wide range of applications. The chemical company has significant quantities of process waste heat – which have so far remained unused. The challenge was to find a technical solution that could feed this heat into the district heating network without affecting the ongoing production process.
Solution
At the newly built Cerdia energy centre, two large-scale heat pumps from Swiss manufacturer Friotherm AG – each with a thermal capacity of 7.5 MW – convert Cerdia’s industrial process waste heat into district heating. To prevent any impact on the chemical company’s production process, heat exchangers hydraulically separate the heat pumps from the production circuit. The facility is part of the Freiburg-West heating network and is the second major project, after the Schwarzwaldmilch energy centre, to integrate industrial waste heat into a municipal district heating network.
Implementation required close coordination with Cerdia as well as detailed technical planning. Almost all the companies involved are based in Baden-Württemberg.
Results
Since January 2026, the Cerdia energy centre has been feeding around 60 GWh of heat into the district heating network each year. The renewable share of the Freiburg-West heating network has risen to 85%. Once fully developed by 2035, the share is expected to reach 100%, with the network supplying around 170 million kWh of heat per year and saving approximately 23,600 tonnes of CO2 annually.
As the first facility in Germany to feed waste heat from chemical processes into a municipal district heating network using large-scale heat pumps, the project represents a pioneering and replicable flagship initiative. The concept can be applied to other sectors – such as metalworking, food production and plastics – and is suitable both for large companies and as a source of inspiration for SMEs seeking to harness their own waste heat potential.
Funding information
The construction of the energy centre was funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.
Badenova Wärmeplus GmbH & Co. KG
Tullastraße 61
79108 Freiburg im Breisgau
Germany
