HOT|COOL NO. 1/2018 "Global District Energy Climate Awards"

P10

By SIA "Salaspils Siltums", Latvia

Heating is an important component of quality of life for the residents of Latvia as the average outdoor air temperature is 2.1 o C during the heating season from October to April while in the summer months, there is a demand for hot water. District heating is used in approximately 80% of Latvian households, as well as in most public and industrial buildings. The fundamental mission of the district heating company is to ensure a reliable supply of heat at the lowest possible price, without harming the beautiful and green nature of Latvia.

THE ROAD TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE One of the key energy goals of the company is the diversification of fuel. Using woodchips, a local renewable resource, has resulted in greater energy independence from the fossil fuel natural gas. To achieve this, a number of highly important production development projects were implemented with the support of EU funds. As a result of the upgrades, the CO2 emissions decreased by 80% compared to 2011.

Salaspils Region is located 20 kilometres from the capital Riga. The population of the region is approximately 23,000. The producer, distributor and transmission operator of district heating is the municipal enterprise Salaspils Siltums. The company was founded in 1996, based on a Soviet-era boiler station. Changes in the management board took place in 2011. With the focus on sustainable development of district heating, an ambitious modernisation project and process optimisation was launched. In record time, thanks to the support from local government and smart management, Salaspils Siltums has grown into a world-class district heating company, offering customers district heating that is significantly greener, safer, more reliable and costs less. The peak load of district heating consumer in Salaspils is approximately 27 MW. Salaspils Siltums supplies approximately 60,000 MWh of heat to consumers annually, supplying 85% of the households of the region, as well as government institutions and other consumers. The company uses two heat sources. The largest of them is located in Salaspils; it is equipped with three gas-water boilers and a woodchip boiler with condenser. The total length of district heating pipelines in Salaspils is approximately 21 km. The other heat source supplies the nearby village of Saulkalne. It runs on two gas-water boilers. The length of the pipeline network is short: approximately 1 km.

CO2 emissions in 2010-2016

More efficient use of fuel, workforce optimisation and other cost reduction measures enabled the implementation of one of the main objectives of the company – to gradually reduce the district heating price rates by 23% from 2010 to 2016.

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