Linz’s city-owned utility LINZ AG will receive a €200 million loan from the European Investment Bank to integrate the Austrian city’s energy, water and wastewater networks into a single system.
The project is expected to improve services for around 400,000 people and businesses in the Linz area and is due to be completed by 2029, the EIB said in a release on Friday.
Plans include linking district heating and district cooling with water management to streamline operations and reduce emissions.
Karl Nehammer, an EIB vice-president, said the project’s “integrated design” connects energy and water systems to “unlock efficiencies”.
Heat recovery, cooling expansion and water upgrades
LINZ AG said it will capture and reuse waste heat using two new district-heating recovery units with heat pumps at a waste incineration plant and a biomass plant.
The plans also include a new district cooling centre and an expansion of the cooling network to meet rising demand, supported by a multi-utility tunnel.
Across the water system, LINZ AG will upgrade infrastructure from production and distribution through to wastewater collection and treatment, with the work intended to support long-term reliability and compliance with European Union standards.
The financing is being provided under the EU’s REPowerEU programme to reduce Europe’s dependence on fossil fuels and speed up the expansion of renewable energy.
