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How do you install district heating in villages with narrow streets and limited underground space? This was the central question during a recent deepdive session hosted in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The session brought together experts from the City of Amsterdam, local officials and experts from Haarlemmermeer, and Arcadis to explore practical solutions to the physical challenges of implementing district heating in dense and complex infrastructure environments.

From complexity to coordination

Amsterdam has years of experience addressing similar challenges in dense urban areas where underground infrastructure is already under pressure. Experts from the City of Amsterdam were invited to share their approach, which combines long-term planning, integrated design processes, and flexibility in applying standards.

Some key principles they shared:

• Planning 15 years ahead: Amsterdam actively involves all utility providers to map out future plans and co-create underground infrastructure layouts.
• Using standard ways of working in the underground (WIOR) and a standardised scheme for subsurface infrastructure planning: These frameworks help assess available underground space and guide decisions when concessions are necessary.
• Embracing alternative methods: Stacking pipelines instead of placing them side-by-side, drilling under roads, or clustering transport cables in walls or consolidated zones are all viable options.

Sometimes, this requires deviating from standard spacing requirements. Such exceptions are only made with strong justification and agreement at the decision-making level.

A fresh look at Haarlemmermeer’s challenges

Participants from Haarlemmermeer acknowledged that they face several pressing issues. With limited space in the underground and a lack of an integrated planning framework, it is difficult to make informed, long-term decisions. Three villages in the municipality are particularly challenging due to their narrow streets and aging infrastructure.

Key challenges included:

• Underestimating the space needed for district heating infrastructure (including expansion loops, communication lines, and insulation).
• Rigid adherence to guidelines, which may not always be feasible locally.
• A missing coordinating role to oversee all the different parties operating in the underground to facilitate collaboration.

Shared lessons, shared responsibility

The session made clear that while every context is different, the challenges of underground infrastructure for district heating are shared across municipalities. The city of Amsterdam is a bit further ahead than Haarlemmermeer, and their expertise was already tremendously helpful. The Amsterdam case shows that smart, flexible planning—backed by clear coordination of all parties active in the underground —can lead to effective, long-term solutions.

Now the task for Haarlemmermeer is to translate these insights into concrete next steps. As one participant concluded, “We need to move from awareness to action.”

Would you like to learn more about this topic? Please contact Noor at noor@amsterdaminchange.com.

The municipality of Haarlemmermeer is actively working on the realisation of the energy transition in the municipality by, among other things, focusing on sustainable heat supplies. As part of this, a heat initiative has been started in the village of Rijsenhout (east of Haarlemmermeer). This initiative has not been taken up by the market in the past. This has led the municipality to want to take a more active role in the development of District heating in which resident participation is a crucial factor.

During the Knowledge- and Demodag on 13th of March (2025), Kelly Winters and Sophie Keijzer (Hieroo) led a session with the participants that looked at similar successful processes in the past of realising a heat network. The central questions were: What was the success and why was it a success?

Session structure and focus
During the session, the participants split into two groups. Similar processes were then discussed in the two groups in which the success factors of the realisation of energy transition projects were examined. An important example that was discussed in the session was the Schoonschip project in Amsterdam North. This project is a sustainable initiative in which residents have researched how they can live on the water in a circular and sustainable way. This resulted in a community of 46 houseboats that share energy with each other via a Smart Grid that’s cheaper and more efficient.

Outcomes and insights                                                                                       
During the session, various strategies were discussed to strengthen resident participation and make heat network initiatives successful. The most important points from the discussions are:
1. Composition of the initiator group:  A diverse and enthusiastic group is crucial. In the Schoonschip project, the core of the success was a group of pioneers who complemented each other in creativity and expertise. Such a group can also be formed in Rijsenhout if they are properly guided and supported.
2. The role of the municipality: The municipality must be aware of the distrust that residents often have towards government institutions. Using an external intermediary or an independent entity can help to reduce this mistrust.
3. Reward and inspire: One way to involve residents in a low-interest topic such as energy is to reward them. Examples are setting up competitions, the use of ambassadors or energy coaches and the organisation of events. Linking opportunities, for example by combining energy transition with social goals such as combating energy poverty, can also play an important role.
4. Using the right moment: An important lesson from the Schoonschip project is to use external circumstances to arouse interest. A crisis, such as rising energy costs or limited energy production, can turn a low interest topic into a high interest topic for people.
5. Governance and structure: A solid Governance structure is essential. The municipality can play a role as a project manager by setting clear deadlines and formulating requirements. This helps both initiators and residents to keep focus and take steps towards concrete results. 

Follow up
Do you have a tip to help the municipality of Haarlemmermeer with their district heating plans? Or do you have a question about this project? Contact Ouassim at Ouassim@amsterdaminchange.com or Noor at Noor@amsterdaminchange.com. Later this week on 27th of march, we'll dive into the technical problems that district heating poses, when there just isn't enough space in the underground to build it. If you would like to know more about this, let us know.