ENABLE DHC’s Engaging Stories series travels to Gent, Belgium, to show more about the Nieuwe Dokken area, a recently rebuilt zone of the city planned to be circular, sustainable, and energy efficient. Discover how Nieuwe Dokken’s district heating uses waste heat and why its story is inspiring.

Gent, located in the Flemish region of Belgium, is one of the country’s most dynamic cities. Steeped in history yet driven by innovation, this university hub blends cultural heritage with forward-thinking urban planning. That spirit comes to life in Nieuwe Dokken (“New Docks”, in English), a pioneering neighbourhood in the northeast of the city.

Built in the area that used to be part of Gent’s harbour, the Nieuwe Dokken is an avant-garde project aimed at creating a sustainable neighbourhood based on principles of circularity and net-zero emissions. Waste recycling, the use of renewable energy sources, and support for green mobility are core aspects of Nieuwe Dokken.

Once completed, the new district will have 400 apartments (200 of which are already built and with residents), businesses, and a primary school. All these facilities are connected with a district heating network that provides space heating and hot water efficiently to the whole neighbourhood.

A major innovation lies in the source of that heat. Most of it comes from waste heat recovered from Christeyns, a nearby soap and detergent company. This is made possible thanks to 4th-generation district heating technologies, which allow the network to operate at lower temperatures—around 65°C in Nieuwe Dokken’s case. Additional heat is recovered from wastewater through heat pumps, further minimising energy loss and maximising circular use.

According to Peter De Smet, director of DuCoop—the cooperative overseeing the sustainability services in Nieuwe Dokken—the goal is for at least 80% of the neighbourhood’s heat demand to be covered by waste heat and renewables. This ambition not only exceeds current EU targets but also proves that mature, existing technologies can already deliver significant gains in urban decarbonisation.

Realising this vision required a well-structured investment plan. Project costs were divided among partners, combining public and private funding. The Flemish regional government provided 35% of the upfront capital through subsidies, while the remaining 65% came from private investors and bank financing. As Peter explains, the heating network’s environmental and social impact makes it a compelling long-term investment, despite slower short-term returns. “The investors were looking for projects with social added value“, he says. Five years since the project broke ground, these investors and the whole community are starting to reap the benefits of the investments made in sustainable urban infrastructures.

Click on the link below to watch the interview with Peter de Smet about the Nieuwe Dokken, and get to know more about how sustainable urban infrastructures can be decarbonised and become a powerful ally in fighting greenhouse gas emissions!