The Heat Planning Act establishes a nationwide framework in Germany for strategic heat planning and the decarbonisation of district and network-based heating systems with the goal of achieving climate-neutral heat supply by 2045, in line with the Federal Climate Protection Act. The Act requires the states to ensure that municipalities prepare heat plans by mid-2026 (for cities over 100,000 residents) and mid-2028 (for smaller municipalities), based on analyses of heat demand, infrastructure, renewable and waste-heat potential, and future scenarios up to 2045, while identifying areas suited for district heating, hydrogen networks, or decentralised supply. Although heat plans themselves do not have direct legal effect, they must guide later planning and regulatory decisions, including designating areas for heat or hydrogen network expansion. The Act also imposes decarbonisation obligations on heat network operators, requiring minimum shares of renewable energy or unavoidable waste heat and full climate neutrality by the end of 2044, alongside requirements for transformation roadmaps, stakeholder participation, data-handling rules, public publication of plans, and periodic federal evaluations of implementation progress.
Alemania · 2023-12-20