Lucerne further developing district heating network with lake energy
Lucerne - The City of Lucerne and the energy supplier ewl have signed a concession agreement for the expansion of a district heating network. The city's supply of heating will be boosted using renewable energy from Lake Lucerne. Lucerne is aiming to exclusively use renewable energy for heating by 2040.
The City of Lucerne and the local utility company energie wasser luzern (ewl) are seeking to cover a portion of the city’s heating requirement with energy obtained from Lake Lucerne. To realize this project, the city’s executive body (Stadtrat) has requested approval from the city parliament to implement a concession agreement for the expansion of a pipeline system, according to a statement.
A contract of this kind is required to facilitate the construction of the pipelines. These will run largely underground and along the streets, i.e., on public land. The plans stipulate that ewl Rohrnetz AG will be commissioned with the construction of the pipelines. This subsidiary of ewl will be tasked with expanding the existing thermal network, in addition to developing new areas. This involves the expansion of the See-Energie Luzern-Zentrum network and the construction of new See-Energie Luzern networks on the left and right banks of the lake.
According to the contract, ewl Rohrnetz AG will be obligated to develop the partial perimeters in stages, provide connections and supply heating. The city is waiving concession fees and guaranteeing a concession term of 50 years, which can be extended once by ten years. “Agreeing this contract represents a milestone in the journey to achieving the aim of a fully renewable energy supply for the city of Lucerne”, comments Marco Baumann, member of the Stadtrat with responsibility for Environment and Mobility, in the statement. “The concession agreement reinforces ewl’s commitment to realizing thermal networks with the city and getting to grips with the energy transition in partnership. With the supply from lake energy, we are ensuring that people in the city of Lucerne will have environmentally friendly and reliable warm homes and hot water in the future”, adds Martin Arnold, member of the Executive Board and Head of Implementation at ewl.
The concession agreement is set to be debated in the city parliament on June 25, 2026. If approved, it will come into effect on October 1, 2026. Lucerne is aiming to exclusively use renewable energy for heating by 2040.
