Waste heat: "Greening networks in both France and Germany" (S. Schimetschek, Calorie Kehl-Strasbourg)

"The aim for both towns is to make their heating networks denser, larger and greener. It was found that Badische Stahlwerke were losing a significant amount of heat to the atmosphere. The company is already engaged in a decarbonisation process, particularly through the installation of electric arc furnaces, which emit less CO₂," Sabine Schimetschek, Managing Director of Calorie Kehl-Strasbourg, told News Tank on 30/06/2025.

The Calorie Kehl-Strasbourg project aims to use the industrial waste heat generated by the Badische Stahlwerke steelworks in Kehl, Germany, to provide heating for homes and businesses in Strasbourg, France. As part of the project, a cross-border pipeline will be dug under the Rhine using a tunnel boring machine. The first energy supply is scheduled for mid-2028, initially providing 7,700 homes. A total investment of €46 million is planned.

At Badische Stahlwerke, the production process runs in cycles of around 45 minutes. The temperature and its variations depend on the composition and quality of the scrap metal, meaning that the amount of energy recovered varies…