The state capital of Mainz has begun to draw up a municipal heating plan for the city area. The plan is to have a plan in place by mid-2026 that shows how Mainz can be supplied with climate-neutral heating in the future.

The aim of municipal heat planning is to strategically plan the implementation of a sustainable heat supply from renewable energies and unavoidable waste heat. This plan is intended to give citizens, companies, and institutions certainty about what the heat supply will look like in the future.

The plan provides recommendations for different types of areas (e.g., single-family housing developments) and possible energy sources (e.g., district heating). However, it does not contain any legal obligations for building owners. This makes the plan an important tool for driving forward the heating transition in Mainz.

To ensure that municipal heat planning in Mainz is successful, it is important to involve Mainz residents and all key stakeholders at an early stage and directly. To this end, special concepts tailored to different groups are being developed in collaboration with communications experts. Among other things, events for representatives of local advisory councils and public meetings for all interested citizens are planned. 

Entire city of Mainz

The district heating planning process in Mainz began in December 2024 and is scheduled to be completed in June 2026. An open public forum for interested residents of Mainz was held on October 2, 2025. A final public meeting is planned for March 11, 2026. From March 2 to 27, the public will have the opportunity to review the draft municipal heating plan and submit comments. The current schedule and information on public participation can be found on the project page (see “Further Information” below).

A consortium of experts was commissioned to develop the municipal heat plan, including all public engagement strategies.

The cost estimate for this amounts to approximately 250,000 euros for the development of the municipal heat plan and 250,000 euros for accompanying measures (public relations, feasibility studies for local heating networks, etc.).

The first three steps of the municipal heating plan—the analysis of current conditions and potential, and the development of target scenarios—have been successfully completed. Residents and representatives of the local advisory councils have been consulted on the results through separate events. Work is now underway on the implementation strategy, which includes measures that outline how Mainz can achieve the goal of a climate-neutral heating supply. The draft results of the entire heating plan are expected in March.