BES
Baltic EnerShift
The project supports the transformation of district heating systems in the South Baltic region towards more efficient and sustainable networks. Its goal is to modernise heating systems through digital services, the integration of innovative technologies, and cross-sector collaboration.
By applying digitalisation and advanced tools, the project improves energy efficiency, increases the use of renewable energy sources, and reduces CO₂ emissions. An important element of the initiative is stakeholder and policymaker engagement, ensuring the long-term impact of the developed solutions on sustainable district heating across the South Baltic region.
PROGRAMME
Total budget: 1.792.900,00 €
ERDF funding: 1.434.320,00 €
Duration: 2025–2028
Lead Partner: Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery Polish Academy of Sciences.
Consortium: 7 partners from Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.
About
Project
The Baltic EnerShift (BES) project addresses the urgent need to transition district heating (DH) systems in the South Baltic (SB) region towards sustainable, efficient, and resilient 4th- and 5th-generation district heating and cooling (4/5GDHC). Current systems rely heavily on costly biomass/waste fuels and suffer from outdated infrastructure, severely hindering regional and European decarbonization efforts. BES fosters innovation and intensive cross-sectoral collaboration to transform networks into world-leading, digitally enabled systems capable of meeting future energy demands and complying with stricter environmental standards.
The objective is to effectively transform existing DH networks by integrating innovative tools, advanced digitalization, and strong cross-sectoral cooperation. This comprehensive effort will significantly improve energy efficiency, contribute to substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions, and enable the wider use of low-grade renewable and recycled energy sources, enhancing green energy production and ensuring greater energy security for the region.
BES delivers three core Marketable Outputs (MOs):
- Sector coupling tools: Services integrating electricity, heating, cooling, and waste heat recovery using digital technologies for optimal operation and improved resource efficiency. These tools are crucial for balancing fluctuating energy supplies, maximizing renewable energy use, and increasing overall system flexibility.
- Grid optimization services: Tools for adapting DH networks to lower operating temperatures, ensuring longer system lifespans, and enabling predictive maintenance via advanced digital analytics. This involves advanced modelling to minimize heat losses during distribution and enhance network reliability and cost-effectiveness.
- Customer integration services: Solutions connecting DH systems with building-level energy systems, offering real-time failure detection, flexible energy usage, and advanced energy-saving features supported by AI-driven insights. These services empower end-users and enable effective, flexible demand-side management.
BES delivers key outputs, including jointly developed solutions, practical pilot activities, and reusable tools. The comprehensive support framework includes training packages for operators, technicians, and decision-makers to ensure lasting impact and robust know-how transfer. Crucially, the project will also implement Policy Recommendations and Advocacy, aiming to address regulatory barriers and promote an enabling policy environment necessary for the widespread and rapid adoption of advanced DH technologies across the region.
EXPECTED
EXPECTED
Results
The expected results include:
- Significant reductions in energy losses and emissions, directly advancing the region’s decarbonization goals in alignment with EU Green Deal objectives.
- Enhanced operational efficiency and improved cost-effectiveness in DH systems through digital innovations.
- A stronger regional capacity to adopt and implement cutting-edge 4/5GDHC solutions, fostering a durable culture of innovation and collaboration among stakeholders.
BES adopts a unified, cross-border approach, pooling expertise from industry leaders and researchers across the SBR to accelerate the transition cohesively and inclusively. This collaboration is essential to overcome common regional challenges. The cross-border effort facilitates the exchange of best practices, provides scalable and replicable models, and strengthens regional resilience and energy security.
BES is distinguished by its focus on deep digitalization. It uses smart diagnostics and analytics to transform physical processes into actionable digital insights. AI-driven optimization enables systems to adapt dynamically and predictively to demand fluctuations.
The Training Frameworks ensure these technological advancements are accessible and practical, actively working to close the existing skills gap in the regional energy sector.
PROJECT
Partners
The Baltic EnerShift Consortium consists of 7 partners and is coordinated by the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery PAS.
Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery PAS
Fiszera 14, 80-231 Gdańsk, Pomorskie, Poland
https://imp.gda.pl/
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Role in BES Project: IMP PAN is a research institute conducting studies on technologies related to mechanical engineering, in the area of principles of operation, design, construction and development of machinery for energy conversion in flows, experienced in national and international research programs. Since IMP PAN specializes in sustainable energy solutions, it will be engaged in providing technical knowledge and expertise in the project. In BES, IMP PAN will lead partner activities. In particular, IMP PAN will be engaged through its own research staff as well as in the participation in the activity in cooperation with external expertise.
IMP PAN will implement digital monitoring system in promises of OPEC – local heat provider – in order to increase efficiency of heat transfer and decrease heat losses.
IMP PAN activities do not distort fair competition within the common market so they are not related to public aid.
Gdańsk University of Technology
Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Pomorskie, Poland
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Role in BES Project: GUT will play a key role in the project by providing research expertise and technical knowledge for the development and optimization of the digital services. GUT will contribute to the testing of the grid optimization, sector coupling, and customer integration services, ensuring their scientific validity and practical feasibility. They will also support pilot implementations by analysing system performance, energy efficiency gains and the integration of renewable sources. Additionally, GUT will lead capacity-building efforts, developing training materials and conducting workshops to equip district heating operators and policymakers with the necessary skills to adopt and scale the BES services. As an academic partner, GUT will contribute to policy recommendations, ensuring that the project aligns with regional and EU energy strategies. They also have vast experience from taking part in, as well as managing, other SBP projects. GUT will participate in all WPs activities.
IWEN Energy Institute gGmbH
Am Strom 1-4, 18119 Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
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Role in BES Project: IWEN, with its specialization in energy systems, brings significant capacity and expertise to the project. Its main roles and responsibilities encompass providing technical knowledge, expertise, and advisory support throughout the project. IWEN’s strength lies in its profound understanding of energy systems.
In WP2 IWEN will investigate reinsulated pipes, PUR-foam insulation in chosen DH company. By chemical lab analysis the remaining life time of pipes can be estimated. Analogue data will be digitalised and used in digital asset management systems. They also want to evaluate status condition (corrosion state) of steel pipes and steel enforcement in concrete (in cooperation with GUT). They will also contribute to digitalised customer integration.
Besides, IWEN will work in WP3 and WP4 on legal barrier to higher efficiency i.e. when legal regulation is not allowing full digital integration customer buildings with DHS.
Lithuanian District Heating Association (LDHA)
V. Gerulaičio g. 10, 08200 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Role in BES Project: LDHA has a strong member base in the country. Members (DH companies) have converted a major part of their fuel supply from coal, gas to biomass and some waste incineration. A major challenge in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia is the disconnection from the Russian electric power system, so they are interested in sector coupling to DH and CHP. LDHA members are also interested in life extension of their DH networks, to avoid high capital costs of grid modernization.
In BES LDHA will cooperate with other partners and disseminate the project results to DH companies. LDHA will work on removing barriers to higher efficiency, including legal regulation not allowing full digital integration customer buildings with DH. LDHA will participate in all WPs activities and lead WP4.
Bornholms Energi & Forsyning A/S (BEOF)
Skansevej 2, 3700 Rønne, Hovedstaden, Denmark
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Role in BES Project: Boef is the energy company of Island Bornholm, for DH and electric power distribution. BOEF has extensive experience of innovation and EU Horizon and InterReg-project.
In BES, BOEF will develop and digitalise their entire production and distribution, operations & maintenance. A new SCADA system should collect all data and make it accessible to the users. It will participate in all WPs activities and lead WP3 and part communication activities related to target group „Municipality administrations and policymakers”.
Öresundskraft Energy Company
Västra Sandgatan 4, 252 25 Helsingborg, Skåne län, Sweden
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Role in BES Project: Öresundskraft is owned by the municipality of Helsingborg and operate district heating and cooling, power distribution and generation, waste incineration in Helsingborg and Ängelholm. Öresundkraft is renowned by its innovations and new solutions. OSK implemented early digital production optimisation, including optimised regional interconnected DH grid between five cities and digital predictive maintenance of DH distribution network. OSK developed a large scale prototype for Carbon Capture and Storage. They do not use any fossil fuels, except incinerated waste plastics; 30% of heat supply is from waste heat from a chemical industry.
In WP2 and WP3 BES, OSK will develop next generation digital predictive maintenance and operation of the DH system, including connection to customer buildings. To optimise power production by CHP, thermal storage, both in tanks, in DH water volume and customer buildings will be used. By monitoring, they can prevent thermal fatigue (from variation in the network).
SweHeat and Cooling
Tofsmesgatan 15, SE-254 49 Helsingborg, Skåne län, Sweden
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Role in BES Project: Swedish Council for District Heating have industry specialist members, wide and deep internal experience of energy companies and district heating. SweHeat has a wide network of expert relations in all Nordic countries, Baltic States, Poland, Germany, UK, France, Italy, China, South Korea and North America. It includes EuroHeat and Power and agreements with many national DH associations. In BES project SweHeat role is to add internal expertise and to connect to external experts when needed. SweHeat will organise knowledge sharing workshops and study tours, engaging company experts, academia, authorities and institutes. SweHeat will participate in all WPs Activities and lead WP2 and part of communication activities related to Technology.
NODA Intelligent Systems AB
NetPort Science Park, 374 35 Karlshamn, Blekinge län, Sweden
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Role in BES Project: NODA is a high tech innovation company with strong academic contacts, many PhD-graduates in machine learning and AI in the field of energy savings, energy flexibility & optimization and sector coupling to electricity & using customers buildings as thermal storage & accumulators. NODA will support project with DH digitalisation knowledge and share experiences from EU Horizon projects and computer science. NODA will participate in all WPs activities.
In relation to budget losses, they are related to investments in AI technology and owners are supporting it with equity capital, focusing on expansion.
PROJECT
News
BalticEnerShift in Kaunas: Digitalization and Innovation Driving the Future of District Heating
On March 17, the Lithuanian District Heating Association (LŠTA) hosted the BalticEnerShift (BES) project seminar in Kaunas, bringing together over 60 participants from Lithuania, Sweden, Poland, Germany, and Denmark. The event focused on the digitalization, optimization, and long term reliability of district heating (DH) systems. Kauno energija and Alytus DH company presented their ongoing digitalization projects, ranging from remote data reading systems to advanced digital tools that will help optimize heat production, transmission, and consumption. Experts from Danfoss shared their
Kick-off meeting of Interreg SBP “Baltic EnerShift” project
Kick-off meeting of Interreg SBP “Baltic EnerShift” project took place on 7th November in premises of Project Leader IMP PAN in Gdańsk. 20 participants from BES Project consortium (IMP PAN, SweHeat, GUT, IWEN, NODA, BEOF) were present personally, two other partners (Öresundskraft and LTDH) joined us online. The main issues tackled by the project are related to digitalisation of district heating and advantages, which customers and heat providing industry can expect from “twin transition”. Project Partners discussed their planned activities.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding the project, feel free to contact us via the contact form.
Project Manager
dr inż. Edyta Witka-Jeżewska
Telephone: Direct +48 58 52 25 173
E-mail: edyta.witka-jezewska@imp.gda.pl