MAN Energy Obtains €280M Supply Contract for Large-Scale Heat Pump

MAN Energy Solutions and RheinEnergie signed a supply contract for a large-scale heat-pump system at the Cologne-Niehl production site. “We rely on heat-pump technology because it is proven, reliable, and highly efficient,” said Andreas Feicht, CEO of RheinEnergie. “Of itself, the plant would tap the dormant energy potential of Germany’s major rivers. But by choosing this location and the opportunity to combine it with facilities based on gas- and steam-turbine technology, we are creating an energy system of the future for Cologne’s centre that balances sustainability and climate protection with security of supply and affordability.”

The supply, valued at €280 million, includes Europe’s largest river-water fluvial heat pump, producing 150 MW and heating approximately 50,000 households in Cologne. The plant is scheduled to come online by year-end 2027.

The heat-pump solution, driven by electricity, uses thermal energy from Rhine water and deploys a natural refrigerant in a closed-loop system. The thermal energy is used to raise water temperature in the district heating system up to 110° C. This temperature maximum satisfies the Cologne network’s heating requirements.

Cologne-Niehl production site on the Rhine; image credit: MAN Energy Solutions

“We are decarbonizing at the source of the heat, thus transforming the entire system behind it in one go,” said Feicht. “This is a great relief for tenants whose options for taking climate action themselves are limited. We are largely taking on this task for them.”

Cologne Impact & What’s Next

RheinEnergie is using this investment to accelerate the decarbonization of Cologne’s largest district-heating network, which covers the entire city center and the Deutz district, located on the Rhine’s right bank with high-density apartment buildings. The European Union and German federal government have invested €100 million in the project.

“The heating market in Germany is a sleeping giant,” said Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions. “It is estimated that 39 million tons of CO₂ can be saved by decarbonizing district heating alone. Therefore, it is important that RheinEnergie is taking the lead and acting. The Cologne heat pump is a flagship project for all of Germany and demonstrates the contribution this technology can make to climate-friendly heat supply. It is an example that will hopefully soon be followed by many other cities in Germany.”

Currently, preparatory construction work is underway next to the Niehl harbour basin, with RheinEnergie and MAN Energy preparing the approval documents.

More MAN Energy News

Last week, MAN Energy Solutions agreed to supply the pre-FEED for a methanation reactor at StormFisher Hydrogen’s large-scale, 200-MW power-to-x plant, to be built in North America. Under the agreement, MAN Energy will test the methanation reactor technology at its facility in Deggendorf, Germany, aiming to improve methane purity by reducing unreacted components in the e-methane output. The plant is expected to produce 2.5 million MMBtu of e-methane per year, equivalent to about 50,000 metric tons of LNG.

StormFisher’s plant will convert 200 MW of renewable electricity, produced via wind and solar, into green hydrogen via electrolysis. The hydrogen is then mixed with biogenic CO₂ and a catalyst to generate e-methane, which satisfies North American pipeline standards and allows the fuel to integrate within current natural gas infrastructures. e-Methane’s pipeline utilization offers decarbonization at scale with lower costs.