On January 29, 2026, the Maastricht municipal council approved the provision of an investment credit for the construction of a heating and cooling network for new buildings on the TregaZinkwit site. This will enable approximately 1,100 homes in the Limmel district to be built without delays caused by electricity grid constraints. This is because the heating and cooling network requires less electricity than individual air/water heat pumps. The total investment for the heating and cooling network amounts to 29.7 million euros.
TregaZinkwit will have an energy-efficient and future-proof system for heating and cooling with the heating and cooling network. The heat initially comes from residual heat from the Mosa tile factory. This factory borders the TregaZinkwit site and can directly supply high-temperature heat to the district. The purified water from the sewage treatment plant in Limmel is the backup source and provides cooling in the summer. The energy produced by the sewage water from a large part of Maastricht thus gains social value. The use of these sources also means less CO2 emissions. This contributes to a healthy and sustainable living environment and makes a significant contribution to the goal of a natural gas-free and climate-neutral city by 2050.
In addition, the municipality will prepare for the establishment of a municipal heating company. When the homes are delivered, there will not yet be a regional public heating company. Therefore, a municipal heating company is the most logical to enable heating and cooling supply for TregaZinkwit.
Deputy Mayor Mackus: “With this investment decision, 1,100 new homes can soon be sustainably heated and cooled with residual heat from Mosa and energy from our sewage water. It is the beginning of a beautiful collaboration in the neighborhood between the municipality, Royal Mosa, and Waterschap Limburg.”
Andrea Bordignon (CEO Mosa): “We are proud that the residual heat from our tile factory will contribute to a sustainable and future-proof neighborhood in Maastricht and to further greening of Mosa. With our connection to this heating and cooling network, we truly show how industrial processes and urban development can reinforce each other in the energy transition.”
Arnold Jansen, director of Waterschap Limburg: “It is great that we can contribute with our purified wastewater to heating new homes in Maastricht. Every day we all produce a constant stream of wastewater and therein lies an opportunity to smartly recover heat. The Collective Heat Act, which came into effect at the end of last year, gives authorities such as the water board a clear role in organizing sustainable and affordable heat supplies. By making our effluent available, we help the municipality of Maastricht with its heat transition and take responsibility as a water board by making sustainable heat from water locally available.”