P7
FROM SOVIET TIME DISTRICT HEATING SYSTEM TO EFFICIENT DISTRICT HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM IN TARTU, ESTONIA
By Margo Külaots, Chairman of the Board, Fortum Tartu
to local and renewable sources, namely peat and biomass. In the year 2000, the system went through a privatization process and became part of the Finnish company Kotka Energy Holding SA, which sold its shares in 2004 to Fortum Heat and Power OY (60 %) and AS Giga (40 %) with the name AS Fortum Tartu (current situation). SUPPORTIVE DEPLOYMENT OF DISTRICT HEATING Tartu’s City Council has strongly supported the deployment of district heating in the city, mainly through a comprehensive city planning and district heating zoning. The first urban development master plan of Tartu was established in 1999 and focused on sustainable development. It included a district heating zoning, aiming at improving the air quality in the city and avoiding district heating disconnections. Indeed, the air quality was very low at the time due to the extensive use of stoves in households -burning not only wood but also waste - and the lack of investments in the district heating system, which had seriously affected the quality of the service and resulted in increasing disconnections. The City Council published a report and organized public campaigns to raise awareness about the risk of these stoves and to justify the district heating zoning.
Over the years, Tartu’s district heating and cooling system has undergone several changes and technology upgrades, from a Soviet time district heating network to becoming a well-functioning and efficient district heating and cooling system. Nowadays, the Tartu district heating and cooling system is one of the best functioning in the country and it has been achieved in the alignment of interests between the municipality, customers, end-users and the district heating and cooling company. CITY OF TARTU AND ITS DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEM Tartu is the second largest city with approx. 97,000 inhabitants in Estonia located in the southern part of the country. The city lies on the Emajõgi ("Mother river"), which connects the two largest lakes of Estonia - Peipsi and Võrtsjärv. The city is often considered the intellectual center of Estonia as the oldest and most known Estonian university, 386 years old, the University of Tartu, is situated there. The Supreme Court of Estonia, the Ministry of Education and Research, and Estonian National Museum are also situated in Tartu. The food industry has traditionally been important for the town's economy and some big companies in the field are A. Le Coq, Tartu Mill and Salvest. The leading printing press company in the Baltic States, Kroonpress, is also situated in Tartu. Over the years, the city’s district energy system has undergone several changes in ownership and technology upgrades. The district heating system was established in Tartu in 1967 and was first owned by the state and later by the municipality. In 1995, the system participated in a renovation program financed by the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, consisting of switching its fuel from gas and oil
www.dbdh.dk
J O U R N A L N 0 . 1 / 2 0 1 8
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online