The Stadtwerke Cottbus GmbH (hereinafter referred to as "Stadtwerke Cottbus" or "SWC") is the municipal supplier for electricity, gas, and heating in Cottbus. SWC is, among other things, the owner of a power plant at Werner-von-Siemens-Straße 16 in Cottbus ("HKW Cottbus") for the generation of electricity as well as heat for the district heating network. The HKW Cottbus is operated by a subsidiary, the HKW Heizkraftwerksgesellschaft Cottbus mbH (hereinafter "HKWG").

The heat supply is currently covered to about 50% by a newly constructed CHP plant at the HKW Cottbus site, along with a thermal storage. As part of the decarbonization of district heating generation, Stadtwerke Cottbus plans to establish a heat pump system powered by lake water from the Cottbuser Ostsee (Project "Lake Water Heat Pump").

Preliminary studies/planning have already been carried out for the Lake Water Heat Pump project. A system with a thermal output of approximately 35 MW is planned to be built. The lake water heat pump system will be installed on the premises of the HKW Cottbus at Werner-von-Siemens-Straße in Cottbus and integrated into the existing facilities on site - including connection to the district heating network.

The lake water will be transported via a double-stranded (2x DN 1,000) ring line (