Energy park instead of power plant
A site of the century is rethinking: in Berlin-Lichtenberg, the Klingenberg combined heat and power plant is being transformed into an energy park of the future. BEW Berliner Energy und Wärme GmbH is comprehensively modernizing the traditional location – with the aim of gradually making the capital’s heat supply climate-neutral and operating completely CO₂-neutral by 2045.
As part of the “Future Klingenberg” programme, existing gas-fired systems are gradually being replaced by sustainable heat generators, infrastructure is being upgraded and the grid connection system is being modernized. In terms of technology, BEW is relying on a future-oriented energy mix: a CHP solid fuel plant with sustainable biomass, a large-scale electricity-powered heat pump and the use of waste heat from a neighboring data center will form the backbone of Berlin’s district heating in the future.
Six sub-projects running in parallel – from the dismantling of historical facilities to the modernization of the infrastructure and the installation of new heat generators – show how much coordination, planning and strategic Project Management is required for the heat transition in existing buildings. The particular challenge: maintenance, dismantling, new construction and grid connection are all taking place at the same time, while the Locations remain in operation – and all under the conditions of monument protection and extensive approval procedures.
THOST is supporting this major project in Project Controlling and ensuring that all processes, interfaces and schedules mesh smoothly. This includes the overarching coordination of technical specialist planning, scheduling and Risk Management, the management of tenders and coordination with authorities and project partners.
In a guest article for the trade magazine e|m|w – The energate magazine, our colleague Roy Sommer describes how we manage this complex interplay and the role that professional project management plays in the successful implementation of the heating transition.
In this way, a place with history is being transformed into a future location for Berlin’s climate-friendly heat supply – and an impressive example of how decarbonization can succeed in existing buildings.
Photos: BEW / Christian Bedeschinski