The municipality of De Wolden does not see extracting heat from the Hoogeveensche Vaart as a serious option to heat the village of de Wijk. The door to so-called aquathermal energy does not close completely, incidentally.
Last year, the municipality, together with Meppel, Hoogeveen and Emmen, started a study into the possibilities of extracting heat from the water of the Hoogeveensche Vaart. Water would then be extracted from the channel and heat could be extracted from the water via a heat exchanger. The water, which is cooler afterwards, would flow back into the canal.
In De Wolden, the District was seen as a location where aquathermal energy could be successfully applied, but that turned out not to be the case. “The study has shown that even in ideal circumstances the entire energy and capacity demand in the District will not be achievable, which means that additional solutions should be sought to achieve sufficient returns,” the municipality now concludes. “This makes it a less attractive option for De Wolden.”
The other municipalities see more opportunities and are considering a follow-up study. “We keep an eye on this. If this leads to new insights, we will of course review the possibilities for the District,” says the municipality.