Heat pipelines installed for combined heat and power (CHP) connect cities to their coal mining hinterlands. In Germany, CHP technology assures that coal fired power plants can continue producing electricity even during times when renewable sources are overproducing, thereby thwarting the low-carbon energy transition. Using a case study of Leipzig and surrounding coal mines, this article draws attention to the socio-material path dependency of this technology. Local anti-climate change protesters emphasise heavily the impacts of mines and power plants, presencing the risks of coal combustion. What they often fail to take into account, however, is CHP technology and heat pipelines.

为热电联产 (CHP) 安装的热力管道将城市与其煤矿腹地连接起来。在德国，热电联产技术确保燃煤电厂即使在可再生能源生产过剩的时期也能继续发电，从而阻碍低碳能源转型。本文使用莱比锡和周边煤矿的案例研究，提请注意该技术的社会物质路径依赖性。当地反对气候变化的抗议者非常强调矿山和发电厂的影响，存在燃煤风险。然而，他们往往没有考虑到热电联产技术和热力管道。