The municipality of Utrecht wants to set up its own public heating company for the Overvecht district. The municipality concludes this after discussions with Eneco about a public-private heating company failed. Resident initiatives play an important role in the new heating company. To gain inspiration, the city council visits Deventer and Groningen, among others.
Since May last year, Utrecht has had exploratory discussions with Eneco for a heating network in the Overvecht district. Last March it became clear that Eneco was withdrawing from the plans.
‘There were insufficient starting points to enter into consultation with Eneco in the short term about a public-private partnership’, the municipal executive writes to the municipal council.
Eneco indicated that the houses in Overvecht, for which the heating network must be established, are too far apart for a comprehensive business case. According to Eneco, the low-rise homes in the neighborhood are better off with heat pumps.
Public values for heating network
Now Utrecht wants to look further independently. The municipality believes that an affordable heating network that meets the public values for the heat transition is still necessary.
The specific public values are established in the Transition Vision for Heat (TVW), by the council. It is about affordability, reliability, transparency and the additional values of open network and freedom of choice.
The municipality will therefore now make a council proposal for the preparation of a public heating company.
All collective heating systems in the city will then be owned by the company. And the company will be responsible for the development, realization and operation of new collective heating systems.
Utrecht sees in other municipalities that goals, such as affordability, can also be achieved with a public heating company, ‘that gets started without formal instructions, on the basis of an ambitious and feasible assignment from the shareholders.’
Major role for resident initiatives
Several residents’ initiatives are active in Utrecht and the municipality wants to give them a role in the new public heating company. What exactly that role entails will be decided together with the residents’ initiatives.
The residents’ initiatives have already indicated that they want to actively participate and shape the heat transition together with the municipality, says the city council. This concerns Energy Cooperative Oog voor Warmte, Energy Cooperative Griftstroom and Warm Lunetten.
By establishing its own public heating company, Utrecht follows other municipalities such as Groningen and Deventer.
Administrators from the cathedral city will visit Groningen and Deventer on May 15 to gain inspiration for the new heating network in Overvecht.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, a proposal will be made to the council for the establishment of the public heating company.
