Caliqua
Caliqua AG is a Basel-based EPC firm delivering turnkey thermal energy plants — waste-to-energy, biomass CHP, Power-to-Heat, and district heating systems — for municipal utilities and industrial clients across Switzerland and Germany, operating as a subsidiary of EQUANS within the Bouygues Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1930
- HeadquartersBasel, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Caliqua does
Caliqua AG is a Swiss engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm specializing in thermal energy systems for municipal utilities and industrial clients. Founded approximately 1930 and headquartered in Basel, the company delivers turnkey waste-to-energy plants (Kehrichtverwertungsanlagen), biomass combined heat and power plants (Holzheizkraftwerk), Power-to-Heat electrode boiler installations for sector coupling, and district heating energy centers with associated piping networks. Named reference projects include a Zürich ERZ energy center with three 40 MW hot water boilers and 13 km of district heating pipe, the Sisslerfeld biomass CHP supplying DSM Nutritional Products / Syngenta / Novartis, and a 40 MW Power-to-Heat plant for Hamburger Energiewerke in Wedel.
The underlying technology stack combines conventional thermal engineering with proprietary capabilities: ultra-low NOx burners achieving emissions four times below the Swiss regulatory limit, first-in-Switzerland real-time biomass moisture sensing, high-pressure biomass steam parameters (105 bar, 525°C), and electrode hot water boilers with >99.5% kessel efficiency and quick-start from 5% to 100% in 30 seconds. The company reports operational availability exceeding 99.8% on hot water boilers and 99.98% on biomass plant steam systems, supporting an overall efficiency claim of >86% on flagship CHP installations.
Caliqua operates as a B2B project-delivery business with two revenue streams: one-time EPC revenue from project development, plant planning, assembly, and commissioning; and recurring long-term service revenue from maintenance of installed thermal plants. Customers are concentrated in the DACH region (Switzerland and Germany) and include municipal utilities, waste management entities, and large industrial enterprises. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EQUANS Switzerland, which itself sits within the Bouygues Group, and operates a German subsidiary (Caliqua Powertec GmbH, Weil am Rhein) to execute cross-border projects. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales, frequently through public tendering for municipal clients and direct negotiation for industrial off-takers.
Caliqua firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Caliqua
- Legal name
- CALIQUA AG
- Website
- https://caliqua.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1930
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Caliqua AG is a Basel-based EPC firm delivering turnkey thermal energy plants — waste-to-energy, biomass CHP, Power-to-Heat, and district heating systems — for municipal utilities and industrial clients across Switzerland and Germany, operating as a subsidiary of EQUANS within the Bouygues Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Caliqua industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Thermal Plant Engineering and Construction
- NAICS
- Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117), Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (221330)
- SIC
- Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biomass Plant EPC & Integration (Design/Build, Balance of Plant) (EUAAAGAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biomass CHP & Cogeneration Plants (Industrial & Utility) (EUAAAGAA), District Energy Biomass Plants (Heating Networks) (EUAAAGAB)
Keywords
Where Caliqua is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Basel
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Caliqua business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Engineering and Construction Services: CALIQUA provides comprehensive project development, plant planning, assembly, commissioning, and service for thermal energy installations. Projects are delivered as turnkey solutions for municipal and industrial clients.
- Long-term Service Contracts: Ongoing maintenance and service operations for installed thermal plants, providing recurring service revenue.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Caliqua product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Caliqua AG provides engineering, procurement, and construction services for thermal energy plants, delivering turnkey sustainable energy centers, heating power plants, and district heating systems from project development through planning, assembly, commissioning, and long-term service. Core plant types include waste-to-energy facilities (Kehrichtverwertungsanlagen), biomass combined heat and power plants (Holzheizkraftwerk), Power-to-Heat plants converting surplus renewable electricity to district heating, and central district heating energy centers (Energiezentrale).
Product overview
Caliqua is a services company offering engineering, procurement, and construction services for thermal energy plants rather than a software product company. Their portfolio consists of five core service offerings (Projektentwicklung, Anlagenplanung, Montage, Inbetriebnahme, and Service) delivered across four product categories: Holzheizkraftwerk (wood biomass heating power plants), Power-to-Heat-Anlage (electrode boiler systems for sector coupling), Kehrichtverwertungsanlagen (waste-to-energy plants), and Energiezentrale (central heating/district heating energy centers). Projects are delivered as turnkey installations from conception through commissioning, serving municipal utilities and industrial customers in Switzerland and Germany.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Projektentwicklung (Project Development) Development of sustainable energy centers, combined heat and power plants, and district heating systems from conception through to turnkey delivery for municipal and industrial clients.
- Anlagenplanung (Plant Planning) Engineering and detailed planning services for thermal plants, including design and technical specifications for biomass CHPs, waste-to-energy plants, Power-to-Heat systems, and district heating networks.
- Montage (Assembly/Installation) Construction and installation services for thermal energy systems and components, covering waste-to-energy plants, biomass CHPs, Power-to-Heat installations, district heating energy centers, and connecting pipe networks.
- Inbetriebnahme (Commissioning) Start-up and commissioning services for completed thermal plant installations, bringing newly built energy centers, biomass CHPs, waste-to-energy plants, and Power-to-Heat installations to operational status.
- Service (Maintenance and Long-Term Operations Support) Ongoing maintenance and service support for thermal energy installations delivered as recurring service contracts, providing lifecycle support for biomass CHPs, waste-to-energy plants, Power-to-Heat systems, and district heating networks.
- Kehrichtverwertungsanlagen (KVA) - Waste-to-Energy Plants Turnkey construction of municipal waste incineration plants that generate sustainable heat and clean electricity from municipal waste, fitted with ultra-low NOx burners achieving emissions of 20 mg/Nm3 and hot water boilers up to 40 MW per unit with availability above 99.8%.
- Holzheizkraftwerk (HHKW) - Biomass Combined Heat and Power Plants Turnkey construction of biomass-fired combined heat and power plants that generate electricity and process steam/heat from wood chips, achieving over 86% overall efficiency. Reference plant HHKW Sisslerfeld delivers 36 MW biomass boiler output, 45 t/h steam, 7 MW electricity, processing 140,000 tonnes of biomass per year and saving 50,000 tonnes CO2 annually.
- Power-to-Heat-Anlagen (Power-to-Heat Plants) Turnkey construction of electrothermal energy storage systems that convert surplus electricity, particularly from renewable wind generation, into district heating using two electrode hot water boilers producing 40 MW total, reaching maximum district heating temperature of 133°C with kessel efficiency exceeding 99.5%. Reference installation for Hamburger Energiewerke supplies district heating for 27,000 Hamburg households and saves 100,000 tonnes CO2 annually.
- Energiezentrale und Fernwärme-Verbindungsleitungen (District Heating Energy Centers and Connection Networks) Turnkey central heating plants and connecting district heating networks for cities and municipalities. Reference project Stadt Zürich ERZ energy center features 3 hot water boilers of 40 MW each, 560 m3 hot water storage, and approximately 13 km of connecting pipelines up to DN 500, designed for PN 40 pressure class at 110°C operating temperature.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50,000 tonnes CO2 saved annually per biomass plant project
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Caliqua
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Caliqua technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Caliqua partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Vapec AGminorVapec AG partnered with CALIQUA for the Power-to-Heat plant construction project in Wedel, handling the large construction and electrical engineering packages. CALIQUA acted as main contractor with Vapec providing specialized construction and electrical services.
- EQUANS (Bouygues Group)coreCALIQUA AG is a subsidiary of EQUANS, part of the Bouygues Group. EQUANS is a global leader in energy and digital transition services with operations in multiple countries. CALIQUA operates within the EQUANS Switzerland organization.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Caliqua competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Valmet: Finnish technology and EPC company providing biomass-fired boiler plants and heat/power generation systems; comparable to Caliqua in delivering turnkey biomass CHP and district energy installations for utilities and industrial buyers.
- Hitachi Zosen Inova: Swiss-headquartered global EPC contractor for waste-to-energy (KVA) and biomass plants; directly competes with Caliqua in the same DACH and European municipal thermal plant tender market and serves similar public-sector utilities.
- Sumitomo SHI FW (formerly Metso): Global supplier of circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) biomass boiler plants and EPC services; directly overlaps with Caliqua on biomass CHP, district heating, and high-pressure steam projects.
- ANDRITZ: Austrian-headquartered global EPC and equipment supplier for biomass-fired power plants, district heating, and process steam systems; directly comparable to Caliqua in biomass boiler and CHP project delivery for municipal and industrial customers.
Broad incumbents
- AFRY: European engineering and consulting firm with a strong energy and district heating practice that delivers biomass, waste-to-energy, and Power-to-Heat advisory and EPC-related services; competes with Caliqua on municipal thermal engineering mandates.
- Dalkia: Large French energy services provider (EDF group) focused on district heating/cooling networks and biomass/waste heat projects; broader portfolio than Caliqua but competes for the same municipal and industrial thermal infrastructure mandates across Europe.
- ENGIE Solutions: Major multinational energy services arm of ENGIE offering district heating, biomass, and Power-to-Heat solutions at scale; competes with Caliqua on municipal thermal infrastructure tenders, with much broader geographic and product coverage.
Regional players
- STEAG: German energy services company with significant district heating and biomass/waste-to-energy operations; a regional incumbent that directly competes with Caliqua for German municipal and industrial thermal projects.
- Münzer Bioindustrie: Austrian biomass processor and energy producer active in the DACH biomass-to-heat and CHP market; comparable as a regional biomass thermal project developer competing with Caliqua for nearby municipal and industrial contracts.
Others
- Vapec AG: Swiss construction and electrical engineering firm that has partnered with Caliqua as a subcontractor on the Wedel Power-to-Heat project; included as an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Caliqua social profiles
Digital presenceCaliqua financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Caliqua leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Caliqua subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Caliqua funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Caliqua M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Caliqua
What does Caliqua do?
Caliqua AG provides engineering, procurement, and construction services for thermal energy plants, delivering turnkey sustainable energy centers, heating power plants, and district heating systems from project development through planning, assembly, commissioning, and long-term service. Core plant types include waste-to-energy facilities (Kehrichtverwertungsanlagen), biomass combined heat and power plants (Holzheizkraftwerk), Power-to-Heat plants converting surplus renewable electricity to district heating, and central district heating energy centers (Energiezentrale).
Is Caliqua a public or private company?
Caliqua is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Caliqua founded?
Caliqua was founded in 1930. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Caliqua based?
Caliqua is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Caliqua make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Engineering and Construction Services are the primary driver. The others are long-term Service Contracts.
Who are Caliqua's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Valmet, Hitachi Zosen Inova, Sumitomo SHI FW (formerly Metso) and ANDRITZ. Broad incumbents are AFRY, Dalkia and ENGIE Solutions. Regional players are STEAG and Münzer Bioindustrie. Vapec AG is listed as an others.
Does Caliqua have an API?
No public API is recorded for Caliqua.
What industry is Caliqua in?
Caliqua's product category is Thermal Plant Engineering and Construction. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAAAGAH, Biomass Plant EPC & Integration (Design/Build, Balance of Plant), with a secondary code of EUAAAGAA, Biomass CHP & Cogeneration Plants (Industrial & Utility). Its NAICS code is 221117 and its SIC code is 4991.