Overview
- United Heat, which broke ground Tuesday, started work on a 3.8‑kilometre pipe to link Görlitz‑Königshufen with Zgorzelec.
- The cross‑border grid is planned to reach about 12 kilometres and to convert both cities to renewable district heat by 2030, cutting roughly 50,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
- The €200 million build includes €81 million from Germany and €38 million from the EU, with Stadtwerke Görlitz, SEC Zgorzelec of E.ON and Veolia as core partners.
- The supply mix targets 48% biomass, 33% large heat pumps that draw lake water from Berzdorfer See, 17% solar thermal, plus small shares of electricity and waste heat, with the Zgorzelec biomass plant already under construction.
- Officials say the project reduces exposure to gas and coal shocks and can steady heating costs, though teams still must align rules on both sides, thread a line under the Neiße, and sign up enough customers under Germany’s updated heating law.