German municipal utilities gas grid shutdown survey, Digi Mart USA News (Germany): Germany aims to be climate neutral within 19 years, meaning millions of renters and property owners may no longer be able to heat with gas. Municipal utilities are preparing accordingly, according to a survey by the municipal utilities association VKU, which Bild reports it has seen.
According to the survey, 13 percent of municipal utilities want to completely shut down their gas networks in the coming years, while 25 percent plan a partial shutdown. In total, 38 percent, more than one in three, want to shut down their gas grid fully or partially.
Another 38 percent do not yet know what they will do with their gas network, down from 46 percent the previous year.
Currently, 56 percent of households still heat with gas. Without a gas network, these households will need to switch to new heating systems.
Half of municipal utilities (50 percent) plan to rely on a mix of heat pumps and district heating in the future.
Several cities have already announced plans to exit the gas grid, including Hannover, Mannheim and Stuttgart. Berlin intends to shut down a large part of its network, and other cities such as Bremerhaven, Düsseldorf, Gütersloh, Jena and Oldenburg plan to develop exit strategies.
Some municipal utilities are taking a different approach. They intend to keep their gas networks and operate them with green gases such as biomethane.
Cities including Essen, Kiel, Trier and Zittau already offer biogas tariffs. Four percent of utilities say they will rely on biogas, eight percent plan a mix of heat pumps and green gases, and five percent plan a mix of district heating and green gases.
Certain tariffs could face surcharges of up to 20 percent in 2027.
VKU chief Ingbert Liebing calls on the government to develop a green gas strategy. He told Bild that heating with green gases will only be affordable across the board if the government can expand the supply of green gases, including by developing additional import options.
