Erfurt is preparing: Climate -neutral heat plan until 2026!

Erfurt is preparing: Climate -neutral heat plan until 2026!

Erfurt, Deutschland - Local heat planning increases in the cities and municipalities of Germany. With the entry into force of the heat planning law on January 1, 2024, all municipalities are obliged to create heat plans. This is regarded as a crucial step to support the federal government's climate protection goals. In Erfurt, a city with over 100,000 inhabitants, the heat plan must be completed by June 30, 2026 at the latest. The city is faced with the challenge of ensuring climate -neutral heat supply and is actively supported by the "Thuringian Ordinance on the Financial Section for the Costs for the Costs of Heat Plans", which provides for annual allocations from October 2024 to enable this planning. The demand is: "What kind of heat supply will my district be cared for in the future?"

Currently, an inventory analysis for existing heat supply is created in Erfurt. "This analysis enables us to take the right direction," says a responsible planner. In order to create a successful heat plan, several steps have to be observed: the examination of suitable solutions for heat supply, a detailed analysis of the current supply situation and the investigation of the potential for climate -friendly heat supply, as is explained in detail on the website of the state capital Erfurt erfurt.de .

Financial support for the municipalities

To help the municipalities in the implementation of their heat planning, Thuringia was the first federal state to introduce a financial support program. From October 2024 to 2028, communities, including smaller communities, receive annual funds for personnel, external reports and the participation of the public. Seven million euros are already planned for 2024, which are to increase to over ten million euros per year from 2025. In total, the state government estimates the total costs by 2028 to around 50 million euros, which is financed from the budget of the Ministry of Energy, as on the side of the Thuringian Ministry for the Environment. The municipal heat planning is seen as a strategic tool for the implementation of the heat transition and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The aim is to make heat supply by 2045 climate -neutral. A reduction in CO₂ emissions by 65 percent by 2030 and 88 percent by 2040 compared to 1990 must take place. This presupposes that all federal states, since the entry into force of the Heat Planning Act, will create heat plans, from which both the countries and the municipalities will benefit BBSR .

current status and outlook

42 percent of German municipalities have actively started to plan heat planning, but only two percent have completed their heat plans. In North Rhine-Westphalia, which includes 396 municipalities, 30 municipalities have to finalize their plans by mid-2026. This shows that the initiative for heat planning in the different federal states is progressing differently quickly. For example, while 164 municipalities are already finished in Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia lags behind with its 13 percent active municipalities, but covers over half of the population.

The way to climate -neutral heat supply makes it clear how important well -thought -out, municipal heat planning is for future -oriented energy transition. The discussion about efficiency, cost transparency and participation of the public is essential in order to actually achieve the climate goals.