Helsingør Climate-Adapted City Core – District Heating Rollout

Pedestrian street in Helsingør’s historic core during installation of a new stormwater drainage system, district heating pipes, and renovation of water, electricity, and telecom lines – including new paving.
(Illustration by Schønherr)

Helsingør Climate-Adapted City Core – District Heating Rollout

The project protects the city’s housing, businesses, and valuable cultural heritage from the impacts of future extreme rainfall, while also enabling the phased rollout of district heating to replace natural gas and upgrade existing utility infrastructure, including potable water, wastewater, electricity, and telecommunications.

The project is a collaboration between Helsingør Municipality and the local utility, Forsyning Helsingør. It is based on a politically approved investment and climate adaptation plan for Helsingør’s historic city centre.

Construction is expected to begin in spring 2025 and will proceed in phases through 2036.

Project Complexity

The inner city features many narrow streets and historic buildings, which increase the complexity of excavation work, emergency access, waste management, and coordination with shop owners and residents.

In two locations, the project crosses a local railway line. These crossings will be carried out within a tightly scheduled timeframe to avoid disruption to rail services.

The project is delivered by three specialised consultants – WSP, Norsyn, and Schønherr – each responsible for their area of expertise. Given the simultaneous installation and renewal of multiple types of utility infrastructure and surface paving, the project requires extensive coordination to ensure that all stakeholders and disciplines are fully integrated.

Narrow streets in Helsingør (video by Helsingør Municipality)