Setting the course for the heating transition in Jena together

The creation of a municipal heating plan is a prerequisite for a successful heating transition in cities: This is because it provides answers to people's most pressing questions about the overarching goal of a climate-friendly heat supply. Jena was one of the first municipalities in Thuringia to take on this task. The results of the municipal heat planning are to be available by the end of the year , approved by the city council and then published. Paula Möhring from HIC Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH, Jena's Climate Protection Coordinator Kevin Muschalle-Momberg and Christian Dornack, Head of Strategy at Stadtwerke Jena Netze, gave an insight into the status of the planning today (June 24, 2024) on the occasion of the Day of Services of General Interest.

HIC Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH has been commissioned by the city of Jena with municipal heat planning. The institute from the Hanseatic city has already gained experience in heat planning in other federal states, but also draws on local expertise, explained project manager Paula Möhring. In addition to the city's Climate Protection Coordinator Kevin Muschalle-Momberg from the Urban Development and Environment Department, representatives from Stadtwerke Jena Netze and Stadtwerke Energie are also part of the core group for the planning process. Among other things, the municipal utility companies will contribute their extensive network knowledge and network data, and existing strategy papers and development plans for electricity, gas and district heating will also be taken into account, as well as current connection values and consumption data. Existing municipal and other public data, for example on plot sizes, building stock and building age, as well as solar potential, are also incorporated into the planning.

With the support of special software, this results in various map views and planning documents for Jena, including

• the current heat demand of the buildings in a district/neighborhood/street
• the future heating requirements of this district/quarter/street - based on the existing buildings and the gradual implementation of important refurbishment measures
• the potential for a centralized or decentralized heat supply in this district/quarter/street or for a single house supply (e.g. with a heat pump)
• a supplementary catalog of strategies and measures that shows concrete steps for implementing heat planning

The existing and potential analysis is currently being carried out by the HIC planning office. On the one hand, the current heating requirements of the entire city are being recorded and, on the other, the potential of renewable energies and waste heat potential is being systematically recorded. These steps form the basis for developing the subsequent catalog of strategies and measures.

"A lot of people are unsure when it comes to the question of whether a new heating system should be installed and if so, which one," explains climate protection coordinator Kevin Muschalle-Momberg. "Our aim with heat planning is to create more planning and investment security for citizens and companies." Nevertheless, heat planning is not binding, emphasizes Muschalle-Momberg. It will be adopted by the city council at the end of the process. However, it can only become legally binding through further political decisions, for example through the definition of further (district heating) priority areas or through integration into existing planning instruments, such as the land use plan or development plans, which receive correspondingly concrete specifications.

Stadtwerke Jena welcomes the commitment of the city of Jena to strive for municipal heating planning at an early stage, said Christian Dornack, Head of Strategy at Stadtwerke Jena Netze. The company believes that the expansion and densification of the municipal district heating network is particularly important for achieving the city of Jena's climate targets. "We have already developed concrete concepts for this and are already working on their implementation in addition to the heat planning process. With heat planning, we are achieving greater transparency for customers and increasing the reliability of our own investment decisions."

For example, Stadtwerke Energie Jena-Pößneck, together with the combined heat and power plant operator TEAG, has developed a concrete transformation path in the 2040 heating network strategy to ensure that district heating generation in Jena is almost climate-neutral by 2040. At the same time, work is underway to increase the number of connections in areas of Jena that are already connected to district heating, particularly in the city center and the Damenviertel district. An initial expansion of the network is currently being implemented in the area around the Westbahnhof, while in the medium and long term, Rathenaustraße and Hohe Straße, Lutherstraße, Mittelstraße and Otto-Schott-Straße are on Stadtwerke's connection plan. Stadtwerke Jena Netze is actively driving forward the conversion of its natural gas to hydrogen distribution networks as a contribution to the transformation to a climate-neutral gas supply. The first pipeline-bound hydrogen could be available via the H2 core network in Jena as early as winter 2028/2029. The expected doubling to tripling of power supply in the electricity grid as a result of the energy and heating transition is to be covered by targeted grid expansion, but also by intelligent control. Stadtwerke Jena Netze is researching innovative solutions in its JenErgieReal energy transition laboratory.

Background information and news on the current status of the development of municipal heat planning can be found HERE.