The Sarajevo Canton has secured EUR 500,000 to develop a project for the introduction of heat pumps into the district heating system. The move creates conditions to speed up the investment, announced in 2022.
The initiative for introducing heat pumps into Sarajevo’s district heating system aims to reduce air pollution and dependence on fossil fuel imports. It is a joint activity of the cantonal authority and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The Ministry of Municipal Economy, Infrastructure, Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of Sarajevo Canton said the EBRD has approved a EUR 500.000 grant.
The funds will be used for the procurement of consultancy services required for the main project for the gas pipeline transmission system for district heating, as part of the Sarajevo Toplane – District Heating project, the ministry added.
Of note, in late 2022, the canton launched a project for the use of heat pumps. The Government of Sarajevo Canton gave the green light in July 2023. However, there have been no updates since then.
The project is estimated at over EUR 20 million
The ministry now explained that after problems and delays in implementation, which led to the project being removed from the budget, activities have been intensified again over the past six months.
The associated VAT costs are planned for in the budget, and the grant contract is expected to be signed within the next ten days, the ministry added.
It noted that the project is a strategically important project for the canton and that its realisation would create the prerequisites for a more stable, efficient and environmentally friendly system for delivering thermal energy to citizens. The total value of the project is more than EUR 20 million.
The main project will create the prerequisites for the development of spatial planning documentation and obtaining the necessary urban planning and building permits. The investment has already been included in the Public Investment Programme of the Sarajevo Canton.
The project involves the installation of a large water-to-water heat pump system, with a total capacity of 36 MW, which would utilize treated wastewater from the Butile wastewater treatment plant as the heat source.
Two phases
The project is planned to be implemented in two phases. The first phase involves the installation of a 18 MW heat pump and the construction of a district heating network of 8.5 kilometres, connecting five boiler rooms in the Alipašino Polje area.
The second phase envisages the installation of an additional heat pump of the same capacity and the construction of a heating network of 6.5 kilometres, connecting heating plants in the Novo Sarajevo municipality, the ministry stressed.
The heat pumps will cover nine boilers of district public heating utility KJKP Toplane – Sarajevo, for a large part of the Novi Grad municipality and parts of the Novo Sarajevo municipality.
Citizens will get cheaper heating, while the canton will gain a higher degree of energy security and greater energy independence, the ministry asserted.
