A reliable district heating network requires more than just feeding industrial waste heat into a heat grid; it needs reliable back-up systems to guarantee heat supply continuity to the connected consumers. In HURRICANE Project, this reliable continuity is obtained thanks to a new steam expansion turbine, of FINEG through its FINARMIT SPV. This steam expansion turbine is connected to a sludge mono-incineration plant that treats sludge from Flemish households and plays a key role in balancing the heat grid’s energy flows. By integrating this new installation, heat delivery remains reliably ensured even when industrial operations would fluctuate during consumer demand peaks. Also, while scheduled maintenance is conducted or even during unscheduled shutdowns of the industrial processes where the waste heat is recovered, renewable back-up power is available to fulfil offtakers’ demand.

The district heating network operates within a clear heat recovery hierarchy: priority is given to the direct use of the recovered waste heat from the hot rolling mill of ArcelorMittal Belgium while the steam expansion turbine provides flexibility and additional back-up power when required. This approach maximises overall efficiency, optimises energy use across the system, and maintains a stable energy balance between heat production, distribution, and consumption.

By combining waste heat recovery with a reliable back-up solution, HURRICANE Project demonstrates how industrial heat grids can be both efficient and resilient. The steam turbine strengthens the system’s reliability, reinforces the continuous heat supply guarantee to the heat grid consumers, and ensures that communities and users can rely on industrial heat networks as a dependable cornerstone of Europe’s future energy system.

With the help of other Hurricane partners: CRM Group, VITO, DBFZ Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum gemeinnützige GmbH, Università Politecnica delle Marche, PDMFC, HEATEN, PC Sint-Jan-Baptist, Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen, #CityZelzate #WarmtenetZelzate