Overview: Riga, Latvia’s capital, is home to one of the largest district heating systems in Europe. The decades-long network is a backbone infrastructure in the city, providing reliable heat to thousands of citizens during the harsh Latvian winters.

Current DH system: Riga’s district heating system is more than 800km long. The grid serves houses and industries, generating 2756 GWh/year. Today, the district heating energy comes from biomass mostly, with a small participation of natural gas

What work will ENABLE DHC do?: The project will work towards the participation of renewable sources in the energy mix, increasing the electrification of the system and diversifying the fuel provision.  Additionally, the use of waste heat from data centres and sewage water is being investigated by the partners in the project. By 2030, the goal is to increase the share of renewables in the system to 90%.

Beyond the system’s decarbonisation, the connection of two zones of the network will allow for improved management, reducing energy loss and allowing for the installation of thermal energy storage, supporting the system to cope with peak demands during winter.

Partners involved: REA and Ambiente Italia