Rekordår for fjernvarme

2017 marked another record year for district heating production in Norway, with a rise from 5.9 billion kWh in 2016 to over 6.1 TWh, and an overall total including Svalbard at just over 6.2 TWh. The increase occurred despite higher temperatures and was driven by growing customer numbers and new construction.

Vekst i Tromsøs fjernvarme

The city of Tromsø's district heating has seen significant growth, making it the eighth-largest district heating city in Norway. The city now boasts its own waste heat recovery facility at Skattøra Miljøpark, which is set to be a crucial backbone for further development. Prime Minister Erna Solberg officiated the opening of the facility, which aims to utilize excess urban energy for heating, thus relieving local power grids and enabling further electrification efforts such as electric vehicle charging.

Fossilfri fjernvarme overhaler

Moreover, the industry's move away from fossil fuels continues, with the share of fossil oil in district heating systems falling below 1% for the first time in 2017. Over half of the plants listed on fjernkontrollen.no do not use fossil oil at all. The versatility of district heating services is increasing, as companies offer an array of products including district cooling, industrial steam, construction site heating and drying, and other energy services.