District heating in Göschenen-Andermatt: heating with wood

Approximately 11 million cubic metres of wood grow in Switzerland every year, around half of which is harvested and utilised. The right choice of renewable energy source for district heating naturally depends on the area, but the forest surrounding the Göschenen-Andermatt heating network means that supplying it with wood is logical and very advantageous. It is important that usage of the material is properly planned and that the material is used correctly. Wood used for energy is at the end of the utilisation cascade – for example, the Gotthard heating plant also uses hardwood that wouldn’t otherwise be used by anyone else. When the plant was built, the aim was primarily to supply the municipality of Andermatt and the tourist resort located in Andermatt with sustainable energy.

According to Marc Vogt, it would have made no sense to transport the wood, which is available in abundance around Göschenen, to Andermatt and burn it in a centre there, so construction of the heating plant was planned for Göschenen. This meant, however, that the pipes had to be routed over the mountain – a very challenging endeavour.

The heating network has been in operation since 2013. It was therefore one of the first projects to benefit from KliK Foundation funding, even before the supported programme was registered as such with the federal government in 2016. The promise of annual funding – at that time until 2020 – was crucial for the start-up phase. In addition to the very high level of investment required for the project’s development and the construction of the infrastructure (the start of the project alone cost around 20 million Swiss francs), large heating networks often only work economically after years of operation, but the funding has paid off as the infrastructure is now in place and can be expanded.

Almost all of Andermatt is now connected to the heating network, and the Gotthard heating plant also covers a large part of the requirements of the Astra construction site for the second Gotthard tunnel. This adds up to a total output of 1 MW across the entire district heating network. Because biomass is used as an energy source, the heating plant emits almost 2,400 tonnes less CO₂ per year than would be the case with another fuel (as at monitoring year 2024). If the replacement and modular Astra buildings around the construction site are repurposed in the future, the network can guarantee their heat supply.

According to Marc Vogt from oeko energie ag, the output of the heating plant could even be increased, since the potential in Andermatt has not yet been fully utilised. Vogt points out that there needs to be continued financial support in the future: even with a certain connection density, which must be guaranteed before implementation, the initial phase in particular is very arduous, especially for private companies. In order to receive funding from the KliK Foundation, a project needs to provide clearly defined services. Annual monitoring and reporting, Vogt explains, ensure that grants are not wasted and that the subsidised project demonstrably reduces emissions.

We are extremely grateful for the cooperation of Marc Vogt, Managing Director of oeko energie ag, which operates the Göschenen-Andermatt heating network and the Gotthard heating plant.