An exploratory research into the role of business models and collaboration mechanisms in district heating project development. District heating is one of the main solutions of decarbonising the built environment, however it is only thinly researched and implemented. A generic collaboration model of district heating project development in the Netherlands is developed, in which four collaboration mechanisms are identified that create four essential system values. It is discovered that the status quo of the business and collaboration models is dependant of many factors that are highly rare or difficult to establish. It is therefore inappropriate for up-scaling district heating project development. One of the main proposed solutions is nationalising the heat transport, as with gas and electricity infrastructure.