On Thursday ArcelorMittal presented the new project to recover excess heat generated during the production of steel sheet piles at the steel giant’s Belval site. The vapours, which reach temperatures of around 400°C, will be used to heat water via an exchanger before being injected into the Sudcal heating network, covering 70% of the firm’s heating needs. While it will be used to heat 180 homes, the heat generated has the potential to meet the annual needs of 4,000 homes.

By exploiting the energy alternative and not using natural gas, it is estimated the firm will reduce emissions of 5,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The installation is expected to be operational mid-2018.

Economy minister Étienne Schneider described the project as a “typical example of sustainable energy supply with a so-called “smart district” neighbourhood”.