Lighthouse project: Bayern Innovativ partner Alois Müller realizes heating plant for the regional heat transition

16.03.2026

Source: E & M powernews, Alois Müller GmbH

The official commissioning of the Memmingen-Benningen heating plant marks the start of an important project for the regional heating transition in the Allgäu region. Together with project partners and the municipality of Benningen, Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche opened the plant on March 12.

Bayern Innovativ partner Alois Müller GmbH played a central role in the implementation, playing a key role as technical partner in the realization of the energy and building technology. Together with the energy and planning office e-con AG, a modern heating network project was created within around 18 months that combines renewable energies, efficient building technology and regional infrastructure.

Comprehensive energy technology from a single source

Alois Müller GmbH was responsible for numerous technical trades in the project, from heating, plumbing, air conditioning and ventilation technology to electrical and I&C technology, district heating and pipeline construction.

The heating plant combines several sustainable technologies to provide heat:

• 5 MW wood chip boiler
• 1.5 MW large heat pump
• 1 MW power-to-heat plant
• Backup boiler for security of supply
• 280,000 liter heat storage tank

The associated heating network currently comprises around 5.8 kilometers of pipeline. When completed, the plant will have an output of up to 50 MW.

Heat for thousands of households

In future, the plant will supply private households as well as industrial and commercial businesses in Benningen and parts of Memmingen. In the future, up to 3,700 households can be connected.

The use of renewable energies, including biomass and electricity from the nearby solar park at Memmingen Airport, is expected to save around 6,000 tons of CO₂ per year.

Industrial partners are also contributing to the economic success of the project. Early customers include companies such as Rohde & Schwarz and Magnet-Schultz.

District heating as a building block of the heating transition

The project is one of the first plants in Germany to be supported by the federal subsidy for efficient heating networks (BEW). A total of around 11.2 million euros in funding was provided, while the total investment by e-con AG is over 30 million euros.

At the opening, Minister Reiche emphasized the importance of regional projects for the energy transition. The heating transition in particular must be planned locally, and district heating networks can play a central role in this.

For the Allgäu region, the Memmingen-Benningen heating plant is therefore not only an infrastructure project, but also an example of how local authorities, companies and technology partners can work together to develop a climate-friendly heat supply.