On a cool and rainy morning, a crane hoists more than 3.5 tons from the courtyard of the Friedberg THMcampus onto a truck with Ukrainian license plates. Just a few days later, the load is lifted off the back in Ukraine: A decommissioned but fully functional combined heat and power plant is intended to make the fourth winter of war more bearable.

For the past 20 years, the combined heat and power plant (CHP) in the THM 's technical building has supplied the Friedberg campus with heat and electricity. The well-maintained MAN engine produces around 500 kilowatts – thanks to the energy transition and the state government's goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 2030.₂-neutral, the end of his work at the university was sealed.

On the one hand, such an exchange involves routine funding bureaucracy: a funding application, approval from the Hessian Ministry of Science, and approval for 75 percent of the approximately one million euro project. On the other, there's the question: What to do with a functioning heating system? The University of Kassel served as a model, donating its old CHP plant to Ukraine in May – it had become redundant because the university had been connected to the city's district heating network.

Heinz W. Jordan organized the donation at the time. And the committed Ukraine supporter was also on board in Friedberg. He volunteers to plan projects in the fields of energy technology, medical technology, and firefighting, for which he was honored as a "People of Respect" by the state government in 2023. He has already brokered more than 15 CHP units to the invaded country – mostly with support, including financial support, from the Hessian Ministry of the Interior. It was also involved in organizing and financing the transport of the Friedberg heating system. Ukrainian Consul General Vadym Kostiuk accompanied the project. "We are proud to be able to make a small contribution to supporting Ukraine," says Prof. Dirk Metzger, Vice President responsible for strategic construction planning. He particularly praised the work of the facility management team: "All the tradespeople at the Friedberg campus pitched in and removed the large, heavy unit from the building without outside assistance."

The CHP plant is already being installed in a small town in the greater Lviv area – exact details cannot be disclosed for projects of this kind to avoid making the donation immediately the target of a Russian drone attack. "Of course, we'd be happy to help again if the opportunity arises," says Metzger. He adds: "We hope even more that peace will return to Ukraine and that we can support reconstruction."

Meanwhile, the former location of the combined heat and power plant in Friedberg's heating center won't remain vacant for long: In the coming months, a similarly sized air-water heat pump will be installed. It will cover approximately 75 percent of the campus's heating needs. The remainder will be met by an existing gas-fired boiler.