What are the prospects for the Paris heating network?

The Parisian heating network is the largest in France and 11th largest in the world supplying 20% of heating needs of Parisian buildings. On the occasion of the City of Paris drawing up a master plan for urban heating, Apur presents the challenges and issues involved in developing this strategic infrastructure in relation to the carbon neutral objectives linked to the climate plan. 

Heat production centre (North East Paris 19) © i.picarel/cpcu

As the leading French network and 11th in the world, the Parisian heating network has 506 km of piping which carries heating to Parisian buildings. With an energy mix of 51.3% of renewable or recuperated energy sources (2019) and a distribution of 4.4 TW.h of heat (2017), the heating network provides for 22% of consumer energy needs linked to heating and domestic hot water in all Parisian buildings.
The last Paris Climate Air Energy Plan placed its heating network as one of the essential tools in its policy for reducing greenhouse gaz emissions in the territory with the objective  of rapidly greening its energy source mix (75% renewable and recuperated energy -R&RE- by 2030, 100% by 2050), as well as densifying and developing the network itself. 

The renewal of the works contract for the heating network in 2024 is an opportunity to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the network and to define a roadmap for achieving the Climate Plan objectives by developing a Master Plan. The present note aims  to provide elements, particularly cartographic elements, to contribute to reflection on how the Parisian heating network should evolve which, revolutionary when it was created, is today faced with a number of optimisation and transformation issues that have to be addressed in order to achieve the targeted ambitions.

Infographie - Quelles perspectives pour le réseau de chaleur de Paris ? © Apur

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    What are the prospects for the Paris heating network?

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