Waste‑heat recovery installation at Dotternhausen cement plant showing heat exchanger, thermal oil piping and ORC power unit.
Dotternhausen, Germany, August 18, 2025
A 10 MW industrial waste‑heat recovery system has been installed at the Holcim cement plant in Dotternhausen, Germany. Heat is taken from the rotary kiln exhaust via a heat exchanger mounted at about 70 metres and transported by a high‑temperature thermal oil cycle to plant processes, local heat networks and an on‑site ORC power unit. The central generator is a large‑scale ORC designed for industrial duty. E.ON delivers the project under an Energy‑as‑a‑Service contract, with financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, aiming to cut Scope 2 emissions and enable wider roll‑out.
The Holcim cement plant in Dotternhausen, Germany, is the site of a large industrial waste‑heat recovery project that will capture roughly 10 MW of unused heat from kiln exhaust gases. The system uses a high‑temperature thermal oil cycle to move recovered heat from a heat exchanger mounted at about 70 metres to plant processes, local heat networks and a new power unit based on Orcan Energy’s eP1000 Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) machine. The project is being implemented under an Energy‑as‑a‑Service contract handled by E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions and is funded with support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
Exhaust gases from the plant’s rotary kiln normally carry high amounts of thermal energy that are often unused. In this project, heat is taken off the kiln exhaust via a heat exchanger located near the kiln’s exhaust stack at roughly 70 metres. A high‑temperature thermal oil cycle carries that heat to several destinations: internal Holcim processes, potential links to local district heating networks, and to the ORC unit where some of the heat is converted to electricity.
The central power unit is Orcan Energy’s new eP1000 ORC system, designed specifically for heavy and large‑scale industrial tasks. The machine’s turbine is built to keep high efficiency during both full‑load and part‑load running, which lets it perform reliably when the amount of recovered heat varies. This flexibility is meant to support steady power output and smooth integration with other plant demands.
E.ON is responsible for planning, building, financing, operating and maintaining the installation under an Energy‑as‑a‑Service model. Under that arrangement, the host cement company does not need to provide upfront capital for the plant equipment. The model is intended to deliver long‑term energy cost savings, improved energy efficiency and cuts in carbon emissions for the plant while transferring operational risk and delivery to the service provider.
The project is framed as an example of how targeted waste‑heat recovery can reduce energy use and emissions in energy‑intensive industries. Expected outcomes include operational savings, lower greenhouse gas output and a decline in the plant’s indirect power emissions (Scope 2). Project partners say the setup can be scaled and repeated at other industrial sites, and further roll‑outs are already being planned.
Financial backing comes from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Partners are planning additional deployments of similar systems beyond the initial Dotternhausen site, pointing to a broader push to capture and reuse waste heat across industry.
Plant management describes the installation as a key step toward lower emissions in cement making and a way to actively cut the plant’s Scope 2 emissions. The ORC supplier highlights the technology’s role in supporting the industrial energy transition with a scalable and efficient turbine design. The service provider emphasises that energy‑intensive sectors hold big potential for savings and that projects like this can feed recovered heat into regional heating markets.
The scheme has been covered in several industry publications and discussed alongside wider industry topics such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage and circular economy measures. The project links technical waste‑heat recovery with broader efforts to reduce emissions in building materials production.
Key technical points: around 10 MW thermal recovery; heat extracted at around 70 metres via a heat exchanger; transport by a high‑temperature thermal oil cycle; power conversion using the eP1000 ORC; flexible turbine efficiency across load ranges; E.ON providing turnkey delivery under an Energy‑as‑a‑Service contract.
The system is designed to recover about 10 MW of thermal energy from the kiln exhaust stream.
Heat is extracted from the rotary kiln exhaust gases via a heat exchanger located at roughly 70 metres above ground and then moved through a high‑temperature thermal oil loop.
Recovered heat will be used for internal plant processes, can be routed to nearby district heating networks, and will feed an ORC unit to generate electricity on site.
The eP1000 is a new large‑scale ORC system designed for heavy industrial use. It is built to keep efficiency at both full and part loads so it can handle changing heat supply conditions.
The plant is being delivered under an Energy‑as‑a‑Service contract, where the service provider covers planning, construction, financing and ongoing operation, meaning no upfront capital is required from the host site.
Capturing and using waste heat reduces the need for purchased energy, lowers Scope 2 emissions and cuts overall CO2 output from the plant’s processes.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Dotternhausen cement plant, Germany |
| Partners | Site operator, energy service provider and ORC supplier |
| Thermal recovery | Approximately 10 MW recovered from kiln exhaust |
| Extraction point | Heat exchanger mounted at ~70 metres on kiln exhaust |
| Heat transport | High‑temperature thermal oil cycle |
| Power conversion | Orcan Energy eP1000 ORC system |
| Contract model | Energy‑as‑a‑Service with no upfront capital for host |
| Funding support | Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action |
| Planned rollout | Further similar deployments are under joint planning |
Wilton, Connecticut, August 18, 2025 News Summary Wilton Center Lofts, a four-story apartment project at 12…
Glen Carbon, August 18, 2025 News Summary Glen Carbon officials are preparing to issue bonds to…
Cabarrus County, North Carolina, August 18, 2025 News Summary Cabarrus County has seeded a $2 million…
Anchorage, Alaska, August 18, 2025 News Summary First National Bank Alaska shares moved above their fifty‑day…
Little Rock, Arkansas, August 18, 2025 News Summary Major construction activity in Little Rock includes a…
Nottingham, England, August 18, 2025 News Summary A Nottingham-based governance, risk and compliance software company has…