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Potsdam in turmoil: heat transition, clinical reform and heated debates!
Potsdam is discussing heating transition, hospital reform and access to the castle park in the SVV. Political debates and demonstrations shape the agenda.
Potsdam in turmoil: heat transition, clinical reform and heated debates!
Today, July 2, 2025, important decisions and debates are on the agenda of the city council (SVV) in Potsdam. In the tenth meeting, which takes place on Wednesday, the focus will be on the heat transition.
During the meeting, among other things, an emergency request to save the data center will be discussed. In addition, millions of euros are to be approved for the implementation of climate-friendly heat supply. Another important point is the reorganization of the municipal clinic “Ernst von Bergmann”, in which five subsidiaries are to be merged with the parent company.
Points of contention and demonstrations
There is a certain potential for conflict in the discussion about the city's subsidies to the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, particularly regarding the entrance fee for Sanssouci Park. The city justifies the demolition of the previous model with insufficient financial resources to maintain its own green spaces.
Away from the political debates, two demonstrations are taking place in front of the SVV: While the AfD is positioning itself against wind turbines in Groß Glienicke, several environmental associations are supporting the heat transition. These two events show how explosive the issue of heat supply in the city is.
The path to climate neutrality
These discussions are the framework for current efforts in Potsdam to advance the heating transition. Stadtwerke Potsdam (SWP), Energie und Wasser Potsdam GmbH (EWP), as well as various heat transition initiatives and Mayor Mike Schubert came together for an exchange to discuss accelerating climate-friendly heat supply. The aim of these discussions is to replace the southern cogeneration plant with sustainable solutions by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality, as Potsdam.de reports.
A total of four projects, including three deep geothermal drillings and a clear water pump, are already underway. The EWP Supervisory Board has released the necessary funds of around 180 million euros between 2025 and 2028. Federal funding is also available for the first projects, which is crucial for implementation.
Financing the heat transition
SWP has to bring in its own funds of around 45 million euros, while E.DIS AG has to provide around 25 million euros. The EWP also plans to apply for bank loans and requires an equity share of around 20 percent, which corresponds to around 28 million euros. Such acts of cooperation show how synergies can be used in the municipal heating transition to make effective progress. In this context, we also analyze how digital technologies such as the climate protection cockpit provide valuable data that is necessary for well-founded decisions about the heat and energy transition, as PwC points out.
Finally, further discussions and a draft for 2025 are still pending in the new economic plan for the next steps, which should help ensure that Potsdam has a good hand on the path to the climate technology of the future. The upcoming decisions and actions of the SVV meeting today could be an important indicator of how the city is achieving its climate goals.
Overall, it remains to be seen how the political discussion and demonstrations will affect the progress of the heating transition in Potsdam. The future of heat supply could therefore also have a major impact on the everyday lives of citizens.