Showcase project for heat transition in Berlin

In partnership with energy supplier GETEC and Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB), Siemens will build and operate Europe's largest wastewater heat exchanger of its kind at Siemensstadt Square. With the heat recovered from wastewater and other environmentally friendly energy sources, the Siemens site will be supplied with 100 per cent CO2-neutral heating and cooling. With the energy concept developed by Siemens and GETEC, Siemensstadt Square is setting standards for the climate-neutral heat supply of the future – not just in Berlin – and making a significant contribution to Siemens' goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2030.

Every day, millions of households, as well as businesses and industry, discharge enormous quantities of wastewater into the sewage system. The thermal energy contained in this wastewater has remained largely untapped until now, offering significant potential that is available year-round. According to the Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB), the total potential for extracting heat from wastewater in Berlin alone is approximately 200 megawatts of extraction capacity. It means that wastewater heat can make an essential contribution to the city's climate neutrality goals. In combination with highly efficient heat pump systems, wastewater heat can be utilised for both heating and cooling purposes. Siemensstadt Square is demonstrating how this can be achieved with its pioneering energy project.

With the sustainable urban development project, Siemensstadt Square, Siemens is opening up its 76-hectare industrial site to create a future-oriented location in Berlin. In the future, this new urban quarter will serve not only as a hub for manufacturing but also as a place to live, work, learn, and conduct research. Siemensstadt Square is a flagship project of the "Made for Germany" initiative and will further strengthen Berlin and Germany as a business location. Leading companies and investors from across all sectors have joined forces in "Made for Germany" to promote a strong, successful and sustainable economy in Germany.

A sewage pressure pipe runs directly through the site, along Nonnendammallee, via which 400 to 1,000 litres of sewage per second flow to the Ruhleben sewage treatment plant. Siemens has developed an energy concept in collaboration with GETEC, which is being implemented in partnership with BWB. Such a project demonstrates that wastewater heat, in conjunction with heat pumps, can provide up to 85% of the heating and cooling needed at Siemensstadt Square. Air heat pumps cover the remaining 15 per cent of heating energy. The electricity required for operation is 100 per cent green – either generated locally or purchased from wind and solar parks. As part of the energy project, the operation of the buildings used by Siemens alone is expected to result in an annual savings of 1,700 tonnes of CO2.

Siemens plant technology is used for heat generation and distribution. To this end, the company has developed a 4-loop heat exchanger with a diameter of 1.40 m and a length of around 800 metres. The wastewater is diverted from the pressure pipe under Nonnendammallee into the heat exchanger. There, the heat is extracted before it flows back into the main pipe. Flow and return pipes connect the heat exchanger to the district's energy centre, which Siemens will build and operate together with GETEC. There, the water is heated to the required temperature of up to 55 degrees Celsius using heat pumps and then fed into the local heating network. The entire system enables a thermal output of up to 10 megawatts, which corresponds to the heating output of approximately 1,000 modern single-family homes and is roughly comparable to the district heating supply in Teltow or Neuruppin. During summer, the heat pumps also provide cooling.

Siemens and GETEC have entered into a long-term partnership and established the joint venture NewEnergySquare GmbH in 2024. The joint venture is implementing the energy project in Siemensstadt Square.

"Siemens AG has set itself the goal of becoming CO2-neutral by 2030. Buildings play a central role in this – they are responsible for almost 40 per cent of CO2 emissions worldwide. With Siemensstadt Square, we aim to demonstrate how a climate-friendly energy supply can be achieved in both existing and new buildings. The use of wastewater heat is a decisive lever in this: it is cost-effective, locally available and can be tapped exactly where the energy demand is highest. Our supply concept sets a milestone for the large-scale use of this resource – and creates a blueprint for other urban districts," says Thomas Braun, General Manager of Siemensstadt Square.

"We are proud to be working with Siemens to realise this forward-looking project, which marks a significant step towards climate neutrality and efficient use of resources. As part of our joint venture, we will demonstrate our operational excellence and take on the planning, financing, construction and operational management of the new energy centre, as well as the wastewater heat exchanger and the heating and cooling networks. Siemensstadt Square is an outstanding example of our commitment to developing sustainable and future-proof solutions for the urban life of tomorrow," says Thomas Stephanblome, CEO of GETEC Plattform Deutschland.

"The construction of Europe's largest wastewater heat exchanger is a prime example of the heat transition in Berlin. The innovative energy concept in Siemensstadt Square shows how entire neighbourhoods can be supplied with CO2-neutral energy. Our goal is a climate-neutral Berlin by 2045. A key lever for this is the cooperation between private companies and the public sector, as illustrated here. Siemensstadt Square is a future-oriented location in Berlin that combines climate protection, security of supply and economic strength and has an impact far beyond Berlin," says Franziska Giffey, Mayor and Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.

"The wastewater heat project in Spandau will create the largest facility of its kind in Europe. This shows how existing local energy sources can be used to combine climate protection and urban development. For our district, this is an important step towards greater sustainability," says Frank Bewig, District Mayor of Spandau.

The development of the climate-neutral heat supply is being funded by the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (Bundesförderung für effiziente Wärmenutzung - BEW).

This press release and a press photo can be found at https://press.siemens.com/de/de

Further information on Siemensstadt Square can be found at https://www.siemensstadt.siemens.com/de

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Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a leading technology company focused on the fields of industry, infrastructure, mobility and healthcare. The company's mission is to develop technology that improves everyday life for everyone. By connecting the real and digital worlds, it enables customers to accelerate their digital and sustainable transformation. This makes factories more efficient, cities more liveable and transport more sustainable. As a leader in industrial artificial intelligence, Siemens uses its comprehensive expertise to transfer AI – including generative AI – to real-world applications and develops AI solutions for customers in all industries that offer real added value. Siemens is the majority owner of the publicly traded company Siemens Healthineers, a global leader in medical technology that is pioneering healthcare. For every person. Everywhere. Sustainably.

In fiscal 2024, which ended on 30 September 2024, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €75.9 billion and profit after taxes of €9.0 billion. As of 30 September 2024, the company employed around 312,000 people worldwide on a continuing basis. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

GETEC is Europe's leading specialist for reliable, decarbonized energy and infrastructure solutions. With more than 3,100 dedicated employees at around 50 locations, we leverage our engineering, regulatory, and sustainability expertise to help our industrial and real estate customers navigate the complexities of the modern energy landscape while significantly reducing their carbon footprint. Operating over 11,000 plants, the company has a broad decarbonized technology offering. GETEC develops, finances, and runs critical energy infrastructure and industrial parks across Europe through its regional platforms in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Benelux, Austria and Poland.​