E.ON secures the pumps of Malmö’s new heat storage tank with a 2,500 kVA backup generator able to run 48 hours

E.ON has signed a contract with Coromatic for a backup power plant that will supply the pumps of the new heat storage tank of Malmö’s district heating network, under construction in Norra hamnen. According to Coromatic, the installation will allow stored heat to be delivered even during a power cut.

The figures. The generator will be rated at 2,500 kVA and have a 17,000-litre tank of HVO100, a fossil-free fuel, enough for about two days, up to 48 hours, without refuelling; during longer outages it can be refuelled while running. It starts automatically when the main supply fails and will keep the eight large pumps that send hot water from the tank into the network running. The contract covers design, sizing, installation, commissioning and long-term maintenance; its value has not been disclosed.

The storage tank. The tank, about 75 metres high and some 30 metres in diameter, will hold roughly 45,000 m³ of hot water, or about 2,400 MWh, equivalent to the heat demand of 30,000 apartments on a cold winter day, according to E.ON. The company is investing about SEK 400 million, and construction began in August 2026. The tank stores heat when demand is low and releases it at peaks, so extra plants do not need to be started; E.ON estimates it will cut fossil emissions from its district heating production in Malmö by up to 50%.

What the companies say. “Coromatic has long experience with this type of mission-critical solution,” said Christian Helgesson, project manager at E.ON. The trade publication Energinyheter notes that the generator does not make the whole district heating network independent of electricity, but only secures the pumps needed to distribute the hot water already stored.

What comes next. The backup plant is due to be delivered in 2028, ahead of the tank’s full commissioning, planned for winter 2028/2029.

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