CROSS_HEAT

Status: Ongoing Geothermal energy Energy

CROSS_HEAT prepares a cross-border district heating network between Herzogenrath (DE), Kerkrade and Landgraaf (NL). It replaces fossil heat with residual industrial heat and geothermal minewater heat, tackles legal and regulatory barriers, and engages citizens and SMEs. The project develops a cross-border energy atlas, a modelling toolkit, and a bankable investment plan to enable implementation and scaling across the Meuse-Rhine region.

Heating accounts for ~50% of energy use in the EU, yet renewable heat shares in the IMR region remain low (NL ~9.6%, DE ~17%, BE ~11.3%). CROSS_HEAT addresses this gap by preparing an integrated, cross-border district heating (DH) solution in the Herzogenrath–Kerkrade–Landgraaf area. The cooperation leverages proximity between demand centres and abundant residual heat sources, complemented by minewater-based geothermal heat and seasonal storage in abandoned mine networks.

Why: decarbonise urban heating, lower energy costs, increase security and resilience.
What: analyse heating infrastructure and housing stock; map waste/geothermal sources and storage; develop a cross-border energy atlas; create Modelling Guidelines & Toolkit; identify scenarios; pilot-test the most feasible one; prepare a funding strategy and investment plan.
Who: ten partners – municipalities Kerkrade (LP), Landgraaf, Herzogenrath; regional authorities Parkstad Limburg and StädteRegion Aachen; knowledge partners VITO, Fraunhofer IEG, Maastricht University–ITEM; sectoral agencies NRW.Energy4Climate and Cluster TWEED. Beneficiaries include citizens, SMEs, industry, network operators, and public authorities.
Where: Eurode conurbation (Kerkrade–Herzogenrath) and Landgraaf, with upscaling to other IMR border areas.
When: 01.08.2025 – 31.07.2028 (36 months).
How: four work packages – WP1 cross-border heating transition concept & regulatory framework; WP2 exploration and modelling of new DH options; WP3 pilot—fine-tuning toolkit and preparing a bankable investment plan; WP4 stakeholder engagement (citizens/SMEs) and upscaling (info centre at Eurode Business Center).
Expected change: foundations for an implementable cross-border DH network, reduced fossil heat reliance, legal/operational guidance, and stakeholder alignment for investment-phase steps.

VITO's role in CROSS_HEAT

VITO is a key knowledge partner and leads WP2. It coordinates surface structure inventories and geophysical mapping (A.2.1), co-develops the cross-border energy atlas, the Modelling Guidelines & Toolkit and scenario analysis (A.2.2–A.2.4), and supports WP3 in conceptualising the selected scenario and exploring minewater heat storage. VITO applies its PathOpt optimisation tool for thermal networks to derive optimal network layouts and future-proof scenarios.