The “Handbook on Cross-border Energy Communities” features some good practices and examples of cross-border energy initiatives. They can serve as inspiration for communities with similar settings and problems.

In 1998, Görlitz (DE) and Zgorzelec (PL) declared themselves a European City to intensify the close, cross-border cooperation between the two municipalities for the benefit of both sides. After numerous successfully implemented projects and initiatives, both cities wanted to take the next step and combine their infrastructures for greater safety, efficiency and sustainability. Görlitz and Zgorzelec decided to connect their district heating networks to jointly supply their citizens with climate-neutral district heating. 

In July 2020 the mayors of both cities signed a letter of intent for the project "Climate Neutral District Heating for the European City“. The project has been awarded with funding for two actions under the Connecting Europe Facility-Energy Call for works and studies for cross-border renewable energy (CB RES) projects:

• EUR 4 8 million for technical studies, to cover the design and approval planning for the building permits, the new grid routes including the cross-border pipeline, and the thermal energy storage, as well as the drafting of the final heat transfer and supply contracts between the companies involved.
• EUR 14 5 million for works, to build and commission a biomass heating plant and a district heating pipeline connecting the Königshufen district heating area with the wastewater treatment plant in Görlitz to integrate waste heat from the sewage gas CHP (Combined Heat Power) plant.

The aim is to save around 50,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. Another advantage is the replacement of old heating systems. Along the new district heating route, new houses can be connected to the district heating network at the customers' request. This allows to replace old heating systems with modern, climate-neutral generation technologies and thereby also fulfil government requirements.

Link: https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/cef-energy-eur-674-million-support-works-studies-cross-border-renewable-energy-projects-2024-07-19_en 

Access the handbook here: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/information-sources/publications/studies/2025/handbook-on-cross-border-energy-communities_en