As the first concrete project within the framework of the "Blieskastel Energy Transition Strategy Planning Now," the expert group at the Blieskastel Town Hall (see BKN issue 30/2022 of 29.07.2022) has developed a concept for a pilot project for a sustainable energy supply in the areas of heating and electricity in Blieskastel districts.
With a pilot project, the administration aims to rethink future energy supply with a focus on heat supply. The plan is to develop an economic and autonomous energy concept for one or several districts, with the economic use of renewable energies at its core. This pilot project is intended to test the extent to which a sustainable, climate-friendly, or climate-neutral energy supply can be realized and, if possible, transferred to other districts. "Unfortunately, we are not personnel- or technically capable of implementing such a concept for the entire city all at once. Therefore, we would first like to test it for one or several districts or even just district neighborhoods," said Mayor Bernd Hertzler. The selection of suitable neighborhoods or districts is based on objective criteria (e.g., population density, household density, current energy supply...). "An equally important selection criterion is the question of interest in such a project locally or the willingness of citizens to actively participate and cooperate. For this reason, we have asked the local heads of all districts not connected to the gas supply network in writing to survey this interest among their citizens and, if applicable, to submit a corresponding declaration of interest to the city by September 30 of this year," explained Deputy Mayor Guido Freidinger regarding the next steps.
An initial informational event about the planned project is scheduled as part of a mayoral meeting on September 6th. A suitable energy industry consultancy is to be engaged for the selection and further technical support of the project. This consultancy will then work with local stakeholders within the framework of a feasibility study to examine the concrete possibilities for implementation and develop proposals for execution. "We are firmly convinced that the willingness to actively participate in a realignment of the energy supply has never been as great among the population as it is now. Therefore, we see it as our duty to actively support this willingness at the municipal level," concluded Mayor Bernd Hertzler.
