With the heat network, 250 greenhouse growers (1500 hectares of greenhouses) and 45,000 homes will be heated with warm water. This means a significant relief for the electricity grid.
South Holland has a lot of residual heat from the industry and can extract a lot of heat from the ground (geothermal heat). Therefore, there is a lot of potential in this province to heat homes and businesses with warm water. Greenhouse growers already have geothermal sources that they use to heat businesses and, in some cases, homes. There are already six geothermal sources operational in this region, and several more are being developed. It is currently being investigated whether a regional heat network can be established that connects various initiatives. This will make the heating system more robust and cheaper.
More Certainty, Lower Costs
The Province of South Holland sees this development as an important step in the heat transition. A heat network in Oostland is a good example of the cluster approach that the Province of South Holland supports (see the advice Accelerating Heat in South Holland). The cluster approach means that municipalities do not tackle heating individually, but work together to create efficient heating systems.
Deputy Berend Potjer: ‘With the cooperation agreement for the Oostland heat network, we are taking an important step to provide our residents with heat in these times of electricity shortages. A prerequisite for advancing this is that the House of Representatives adopts the Heat Act and ensures affordability. Heat networks are part of the total energy system. As cooperating authorities, we are also fully committed to energy savings, energy hubs, and locally generating solar and wind energy. Essential measures to combat electricity shortages due to grid congestion.’
The Solution for Greenhouse Horticulture
For greenhouse horticulturists, the stakes are high. The sector needs a lot of heat but is facing increasingly expensive gas prices, rising CO2 taxes, and a congested electricity grid. The heat network offers the solution: affordable, reliable, sustainable heat - delivered via geothermal energy.
In 2027, the first works are planned in Noordpolder and Zuidplaspolder. As part of the letter of intent, the province offers the opportunity to apply for a subsidy (2 million euros) to enlarge a planned connection line from Berkel en Rodenrijs to Zuidplas so that, in addition to greenhouses, homes can also be heated. The province will also include the regional heat network in Oostland in the spatial regulations (revision of Environmental Policy).