Market analysis: District heating across Europe

Despite its improved environmental impact compared to traditional gas boilers, these pipe networks still require heating. While the networks across Europe have increasingly utilised renewable energy sources, a significant portion of the supply continues to rely on fossil fuels. This is due to fossil fuels offering better reliability as a backup fuel and the existence of relatively energy-efficient facilities, particularly in Eastern Europe. The goal of this analysis was to understand the dynamics of heat demand in district heating systems and to evaluate whether nuclear power could serve as a suitable alternative to replace the fossil fuels that have not yet been phased out of the energy mix.