Together Toward an Energy-Neutral Twente

Today the Regional Energy Strategy (RES) Twente was presented. A beautiful, sustainable result in which agreements have been established on how to make Twente energy neutral. It's this partnership that will help us to reduce the use of natural gas and contribute to the regional and national climate objectives. Twence supports this collaboration. Only when we work together can we realise a green, circular society.


Luchtfoto Twence

What does the Regional Energy Strategy mean for Twence?
The agreements are about the way in which Twente will meet its targets from the National Climate Agreement. The RES addresses the regional opportunities related to electricity and heating. For Twence, that means the following:
1. Electricity
Municipalities are looking for ways to generate renewable electricity with yet to be developed energy initiatives involving solar or wind. Twence, together with its shareholding municipalities, will look for the best solutions that fit the local conditions. The supply of green electricity to ten municipalities in Twente starting in 2021 is already a great contribution to this effort. It allows these Twence shareholders to make their municipal connections greener, including public lighting.
2. Heating
Municipalities are faced with the challenge of heating homes and businesses without natural gas in the future. The continuous flow of heat produced by Twence can be an important contribution to a sustainable solution. The roll-out of a regional heat network to Hengelo, Borne, Almelo, Haaksbergen, Oldenzaal, and Enschede is a development that offers many opportunities, supplied with waste heat from Twence. 100,000 homes can then be supplied with this high-temperature heat, making heating with natural gas obsolete.

Talking to All Shareholders
Twence will consult with individual municipalities to assess in what way local conditions can be taken into consideration. In the coming years, Twence will expand its sustainable energy production and work on solutions to make its energy available for regional energy needs. With that, Twence will make a significant contribution to the reduction of the use of fossil fuels, including natural gas.

Innovation Excellence in the Chain
Twence has a connecting and active role in the development of the circular economy in the (Eu)region and invests, together with partners, in the transition toward a sustainable society. We do so with a focus on the entire chain, with passion, innovation, and while being commercially sound. Focused collaboration with partners is important for realising the regional energy transition. For example, we plan to work with Cogas and Ennatuurlijk to heat Twente's urban areas. With these partners, we have access to innovation, knowledge, and organisational strengths to enable us to achieve this.