Interreg Project DISCO to Accelerate Waste Heat Utilization
Press Release #1
May 27, 2025
The newly launched Interreg Europe project DISCO – Advancing DIStrict heating and COoling solutions for efficient waste heat utilization brings together 10 partner organizations from across Europe to test and develop innovative solutions for capturing and reusing industrial waste heat in district heating and cooling systems.
Industries across Europe release enormous amounts of heat into the atmosphere as a byproduct of production. Capturing this heat and using it in district heating and cooling systems could significantly reduce carbon emissions and energy costs. But while technical solutions already exist, many public authorities lack the policy tools and capacity to implement them.
DISCO addresses this by supporting regional and local governments in improving energy strategies, sharing best practices, and testing new policy approaches. The project is led by North Sweden Energy Agency (Energikontor Norr), based in Luleå, Sweden.
“We see great potential in reusing waste heat from the industry. With DISCO, we want to support public authorities in leading this change — turning existing knowledge into real action,” says Isabella Katsimenis, Project Manager, North Sweden Energy Agency.
Regional perspectives at the core
DISCO includes ten partners from all five Interreg Europe zones, including:
- North Sweden Energy Agency, Sweden
- Aalborg Municipality, Denmark
- House of Energy e.V., Germany
- Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
- Municipality of Botosani, Romania
- Province of Drenthe, Netherlands
- CODEMA, Ireland
- Region of Crete, Greece
- IRENA – Istrian Regional Energy Agency, Croatia
- City of Zrenjanin, Serbia
Through mutual learning and policy exchange, DISCO will drive forward decarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector and contribute to meeting the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive targets.
Project focus areas
The DISCO project runs until 2029, and the partnership will share best practices and improve policy instruments through four thematic areas:
- Technical considerations
- Economic potential
- Regulatory requirements
- Stakeholder cooperation and capacity building