On Wednesday, 13 October, Trias Westland was opened with growers, Jan-Kees Goet, Secretary-General of LNV, and Sandor Gaastra, Director-General of EZK. With two geothermal wells at a depth of 2.3 km and a 4 km exploration well, Trias Westland is, according to all those involved, 'the springboard for the Westland heat system'.
A large part of this heat network functions as the main pipeline in Warmtesysteem Westland (WSW), the regional heat network in the glass city.
Pressing the button and symbolic inauguration of Trias Westland by Erik Persoon, Jan-Kees Goet, Marco van Soerland and Sandor Gaastra
Inspiration for others
"Westland has always been characterized by cooperation. By showing entrepreneurship, the Westland region shows us that you can shape the heat transition together. But we're not there yet: it is important to take action now, for example by rolling out Warmtesysteem Westland and extending it to residential areas and the links with Warmtelinq," says Sandor Gaastra, Director-General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
Public tour of the geothermal heat location in Naaldwijk
Reservation of national budget
The upgrading of the main pipeline of the Trias Westland heat network was made possible by a subsidy from the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality. The recently published national budget includes a new reservation for the Westland Heat System as of 2022. In addition, the link with the heat port in Leiden (Warmtelinq) is also planned.
Jan-Kees Goet, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality: "The regional heat network, and with it the linking of local heat projects, will enable a robust and future-proof heat supply in the Westland region. Especially in these times with all the developments in the energy market, it is a good example of progressive climate policy in which various parties and sectors, such as greenhouse horticulture, take the initiative, find each other, strengthen each other and cooperate."
Fruitful cooperation
During the meeting in Naaldwijk, amidst gerberas, peppers, and orchids, the fruitful cooperation between initiators, financiers, partners, and 54 Westland greenhouse horticulture companies was highlighted. With a production capacity of more than 40 MWth, Trias Westland is, according to all parties involved, proof of a cooperation model in which the participating greenhouse horticulture businesses work together with each other and with large regional parties via their own cooperative. The affiliated greenhouse horticulture businesses of Trias Westland can also trade heat with each other. By exchanging heat on the trading platform, they make optimum use of the available heat.
Back in production after pipe burst
Regional broadcaster WOS was present at the official event (watch the video item here), where they asked director Jeroen Soerland of Trias Westland when the production of geothermal heat would be resumed. It is currently halted after an above-ground pipe burst in September, but the director expects that one doublet will be restarted within two weeks and that the entire production will be up and running again before December. In the meantime, the connected horticulturalists are temporarily connected to (currently very expensive) natural gas.
Sources: Trias Westland/WOS