City of Jena has municipal heating plan drawn up

Since the beginning of the year, the city of Jena has been pushing ahead with a pioneering project for the future. It is dedicated to the question of how Jena's buildings should be heated in the future when fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal are no longer available. The corresponding funding decision was received in the third quarter of 2023 and the contract was finally awarded in December last year. The first of several stakeholder meetings has now taken place.

The aim of municipal heat planning

The aim of municipal heat planning is to determine how much heat is currently needed locally, how heat demand is developing and which heat sources and infrastructure can be used to provide heat in the future - in a climate-neutral manner. This makes it an important strategic planning tool for the municipality to shape the long-term heat supply.

Christian Gerlitz, Mayor and Head of Department for Urban Development and the Environment, adds:

"The energy market has become incredibly dynamic. Many people are uncertain when it comes to the question of whether a new heating system should be installed and, if so, which one. Our aim is therefore to create more planning and investment security for citizens and companies in the city of Jena with heat planning."

To this end, heating network areas and areas for decentralized heat supply will be identified on the basis of an existing and potential analysis in order to ensure the most cost-efficient and climate-neutral supply possible. A catalog of strategies and measures is ultimately intended to show concrete action strategies for the implementation of heat planning.

Stakeholder meetings to develop the heating plan

The development process includes several so-called stakeholder meetings, consisting of housing associations, energy suppliers, citizen energy cooperatives, business stakeholders and many more. The aim of the first stakeholder meeting was to present the objectives of municipal heat planning and to ascertain the expectations of the many different stakeholders.

Experienced office from Hamburg on board

The city of Jena has commissioned an experienced planning office, HIC Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH, to draw up the municipal heating plan. The Hamburg office has already gained experience in the creation of heat transition strategies, feasibility studies on greenhouse gas-neutral heating networks and energy district concepts. The event was moderated by the Hamburg Institute.

Project manager Paula Möhring:

"There can be no energy transition without a heating transition - municipal heating planning plays an important role in this. It can contribute to future-oriented urban development, for which broad social acceptance is also crucial. The fact that so many stakeholders attended the on-site meeting illustrates the great interest in and expectations of heat planning."

Important step towards climate neutrality

The city of Jena already decided to draw up a municipal heating plan with the Climate Action Plan in April 2023 and was therefore able to make all preparations at an early stage. The Heat Planning Act, on the other hand, was not passed until December 2023 and obliges municipalities like Jena to submit a heat plan by June 30, 2026. This means that Jena is already one step ahead of many other German municipalities.
The first results are expected to be presented to the public in the fall. The completed municipal heating plan should be available by the end of 2024. The city of Jena will continue to provide regular updates on the current status.