Optimising Belgrade’s heat network

A Digital Twin to simulate over 100 strategic scenarios, turning complex data into reliable investment decisions.

Markets

Energy

Solutions

The challenge

Belgrade has one of Europe’s largest district heating networks, but it is fragmented into multiple separate sub-networks. As part of the United Nations’ District Energy in Cities Initiative, Enova, together with Beogradske Elektrane and the University of Belgrade, launched a pre-feasibility study to make the system more efficient and sustainable. The goal was to assess interconnecting the networks to integrate new waste heat sources from production plants outside the city and energy from a new waste-to-energy plant, rethinking the distribution system. A complex challenge, requiring technical, economic and environmental constraints to be balanced across multiple scenarios, delivering a reliable assessment to support investment decisions.

How we create value

Optit was selected as Enova’s technical partner. We deployed our Decision Support System (DSS), OptiDEN, building a Digital Twin of Belgrade’s district heating network and simulating over 100 interconnection scenarios.

The model accounted for technical and economic constraints, assessing the recovery of excess heat from production plants outside the city and the integration of the new waste-to-energy plant. For each scenario, we quantified the achievable efficiency and the investment required, delivering a clear, comparable, decision-oriented analysis.

A concrete example of a Digital Twin supporting urban energy policy, able to turn a fragmented system into an integrated, lower-impact infrastructure.

Impact

Over 100 interconnection scenarios simulated and compared using the OptiDEN platform.
Identification of the most advantageous solutions in terms of economic and environmental return.
Estimated CAPEX reduction of several million euros compared with the initial project.
A fact-based roadmap for the evolution of Belgrade’s district heating network.