The Danish–French District Heating Alliance is a joint initiative between DBDH, the Danish Embassy in Paris, and Danish companies with expertise in district heating.
The alliance supports Danish companies in engaging with the French district heating sector through market insight, coordinated visibility, stakeholder dialogue, and concrete export activities.
France is accelerating the development of renewable and recovered heat. District heating networks are seen as an important solution, especially in urban areas and in places where individual heat pumps are less suitable.
ADEME’s Heat Fund continues to support renewable heat production and heating networks for collective housing, local authorities, and businesses. For Danish companies, this creates a strong opportunity.
France has ambitious targets for expanding heat networks and increasing the share of renewable and recovered heat, but market access requires local understanding, trusted relations, and coordinated Danish presence. That is what the Danish–French District Heating Alliance is designed to support.
The alliance builds on several years of cooperation between the Danish Embassy in Paris, DBDH, Danish companies, and French stakeholders. Previous activities have created access to contracting authorities in French metropoles, engineering consultancies, utilities, and institutions such as ADEME.
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Alliance Focus
The alliance focuses on strengthening Danish–French cooperation within district heating through:
1. Market access and stakeholder dialogue
DBDH and the Danish Embassy help Danish companies connect with relevant French stakeholders, including municipalities, utilities, engineering consultancies, public energy companies, and regional actors.
The aim is to create direct dialogue around French project needs and Danish experience in planning, technology, optimization, and system development.
2. Knowledge exchange and Danish expertise
The alliance provides a platform for sharing Danish experience with:
- district heating planning and governance
- efficient network development
- integration of renewable and recovered heat
- digitalisation and system optimisation
- customer engagement and long-term infrastructure development
Rather than promoting individual technologies in isolation, the alliance presents Danish district heating as an integrated system approach.
3. Coordinated Danish visibility
DBDH contributes to the communication, mobilisation and onboarding of Danish companies in the partnership. This includes coordination with alliance members, input to programs, and visibility of activities through relevant channels, including LinkedIn.
This coordinated approach strengthens the Danish voice in France and makes it easier for French stakeholders to understand what Danish companies can offer.
4. Export promotion and delegation activities
The alliance includes Danish participation in activities in both France and Denmark. This may include workshops, delegation visits, networking meetings, and joint export promotion activities.
DBDH supports the planning and execution of these activities, including program development, logistics, mobilisation of Danish participants, and coordination with French partners.
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Value proposition
The Danish–French District Heating Alliance gives Danish companies:
- access to key French stakeholders and decision-makers
- insight into market developments, regulation, and funding mechanisms
- coordinated Danish branding and visibility
- opportunities to participate in export promotion activities
- a platform for long-term Danish–French cooperation
- stronger positioning in a market with growing demand for efficient, low-carbon heat solutions
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Why France?
France is working to reduce fossil fuel dependency and expand the use of renewable and recovered heat. ADEME states that heating accounts for a large share of French energy consumption and that heat networks are an essential solution, particularly in urban areas.
The French Heat Fund continues to support new renewable heat installations and the development of heating networks. In 2025, the fund supported more than 1,200 installations and 643 km of heat distribution networks, while the 2026 budget was confirmed at €800 million.
For Danish companies, the opportunity is not only about market growth. It is about contributing proven Danish experience to a fast-developing French sector seeking practical solutions.
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Ambition
The ambition of the Danish–French District Heating Alliance is to:
- strengthen Danish–French cooperation on district heating
- support French cities and utilities in developing efficient, low-carbon heat networks
- position Danish district heating solutions as relevant, practical, and trusted
- create concrete export opportunities for Danish companies
- build long-term relations between Danish and French district heating stakeholders
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Contact
For more information about the Danish–French District Heating Alliance, please contact: DBDH – Danish Board of District Heating
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Powered by DBDH in collaboration with the Royal Danish Embassy in Paris.