Halle's heat transition begins: Citizens discuss climate plan 2045!

Halle's heat transition begins: Citizens discuss climate plan 2045!

A lot happened in Halle (Saale) on September 25, 2025. Mayor Dr. Alexander Vogt has started public participation in the municipal heat plan (KWP), a crucial step for the city's future heat supply. The opening event took place in the Handel Hall, where the focus was on the heat transition and achieving climate neutrality. The KWP is a central element of urban development, especially since the current heat supply is still heavily based on fossil energy sources. “The switch to renewable heat sources is essential,” emphasized Dr. Vogt in his speech and referred to legal requirements that prohibit the use of natural gas and oil after 2045.

But what is the next step? The city must actively coordinate and promote it, while the municipal utilities must invest in infrastructure and technologies. “We have to inform the building owners so that they can decide and act,” said Dr. Katja Nowak from EVH, who presented the heating plan. Your goal: create planning security for everyone involved.

Strategic planning for the future

A special feature of the KWP is that a digital image of the city was created based on extensive data analysis, which records both the heat potential and the existing infrastructure. “This is aimed directly at developing a tailor-made heat supply for Halle (Saale),” explained Lutz Haake, board member of BWG Halle-Merseburg e.G. The focus is on the target scenario for heat supply by 2045, which is to be continuously developed and updated. A third of the city is already supplied with district heating; in areas without a connection, climate-friendly options such as heat pumps are used.

What exactly does the implementation look like? The Dieselstrasse energy park is to be converted to climate-neutrality by 2045, with financing being organized by the Halle municipal utility company. Citizens are invited to actively find out about municipal heat planning, be it in the exhibition in the Ratshof or in Scheibe A in Halle-Neustadt. You can also view the KWP in printed form here.

Looking outside the box

The municipal heat plan is embedded in a larger national framework. The Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries emphasizes that 98 percent of municipalities with more than 45,000 inhabitants have already started heat planning. The Heat Planning Act, which will come into force at the beginning of 2024, lays the foundations for systematic heat planning to decarbonize the heating sector. Municipalities must submit these plans by 2026 (for large cities) or 2028 (for smaller municipalities) at the latest, with the measures having to be updated annually.

Due to these developments, citizen participation is becoming increasingly important. The BUND calls for active participation in heat planning on site so that ecological and social demands can be taken into account. “Citizens should be fully involved in the planning,” demand the environmentalists. In order to make this possible, clear information and advice offers from municipalities are necessary.

If everything goes according to plan, the KWP will be approved by the city council in March 2026. Until then, everyone in Halle (Saale) and the surrounding area can obtain comprehensive information about the progress and actively participate in the heating transition.