New energy center: Zurich Airport launches central project to decarbonize its infrastructure

Given its size, complexity and wide range of facilities, Zurich Airport is comparable to a city. Accordingly, its energy demand for heating and cooling is substantial. A new energy center the size of a triple gymnasium is now being built as one of the elements to reduce the associated emissions. The center is located between Parking Garage 6, the Radisson Blu Hotel and Operation Center 1. Its underground construction ensures the centrally located space above remains usable. Inside, the energy center will be equipped with heat pumps and chillers with a total capacity of 12 to 15 megawatts — enough to cover around two-thirds of the heating and cooling needs of the terminals and nearby buildings at the airport’s front section in the medium term. The construction will take at least two years, with commissioning planned for autumn 2027.

A flagship project within the strategy
The energy center is part of a holistic energy concept that focuses on the seasonal storage of heat and cold in the ground. Since 2022, Flughafen Zürich AG has been exploring the use of a subglacial channel located 300 meters underground. In 2024, a first test well was completed and a second one is currently under construction. So far, the results have shown promising potential to store and reuse thermal energy. The exploration of the channel on this scale is unique and is supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy due to its pioneering nature.

If the channel can be developed as planned, it will eventually save around 6,500 tons of CO₂ annually, in combination with the energy center and the new low-temperature network. By 2030, emissions at the airport front are expected to decrease by around 35%, to about 15,900 tons per year — despite further expansion and increasing demands. By 2040, the company’s greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced to net zero.