News from the local heating network: At its topic-rich meeting on Wednesday evening, Wartenberg's market council made the decision in principle to found a municipal company for the district west of the Strogen together with Stadtwerke Dorfen.
Wartenberg – What the whole thing should be called is still unclear.
There is a similar example in the district with the municipal works in Taufkirchen, where Stadtwerke Erding and the municipality of Taufkirchen have joined forces.
Solar thermal energy, open-space photovoltaics, hybrid heat pumps, central heating systems and much more: As already reported in detail, the market town has big plans in the area that consists of Pesenlerner Strasse, Strogen, Zustorfer Strasse, Bgm. Stuhlberger Strasse and the new development area Kleinfeld West is framed and should eventually spread over the entire town in the future.
The goal: "Together implement the energy transition in Wartenberg".
Last but not least, the citizens are needed for this.
If you also consider the plans for the wind turbine near Auerbach, Wartenberg is currently playing a pioneering role, similar to Stadtwerke Dorfen.
The latter already have a lot of know-how, which the market now wants to rely on.
Mayor Christian Pröbst (CSU) put it this way: “If you do it all alone, beginner mistakes happen.
The public utility company may have done that in the past” – but not anymore.
Wartenberg will have a 51 percent share in a future company in order to remain eligible, and the public utility company 49 percent.
The construction, for example, of the heating plant, the network itself or the solar plant - all of this is planned jointly by the market and the municipal utility, explained Pröbst when asked.
The market will be the sole owner.
The future operator would then have to be advertised across Europe in accordance with the regulations.
The operator then takes over the day-to-day work, for example all commercial matters or the procurement of wood chips.
Pröbst and Stadtwerke Managing Director Klaus Steiner have known each other for a long time, not least from Energievision Erding, of which Pröbst is in turn Managing Director.
"We had a lot of discussions, I have a great gut feeling," confessed Pröbst, while Steiner presented his company in detail.
The general manager and technical manager Alois Huber came to the meeting with him.
"A minimum return must be agreed," emphasized Steiner for the public utility company.
Because what else would the town of Dorfen gain from it?
Dominik Rutz (Greens) was enthusiastic: "Cooperation would be great.
Dorfen is a pioneer in the district.” A GmbH makes sense for Rutz, even if a cooperative would have made sense, according to him.
"But that would probably take longer."
Markus Straßberger (CSU) hopes “that maybe one or the other further cooperation will arise.
I can only endorse that we do it.”
Michael Gruber (SPD), who was the only one who voted against the cooperation, wanted to know how many municipalities have so far entered into a cooperation agreement with the Dorfener Stadtwerke.
"You'd be the first," Steiner replied.
As reported, the schedule for the first district is already in place: planning for the heating network is to begin in 2023 and take the whole year to complete.
Construction will begin in 2024 and the next quarters will be discussed.
Steiner stated that the war in Ukraine had led to a rethink.
One must achieve independence from fossil fuels.
He predicted that hydrogen would also be used in the future.
Only: When heating with hydrogen, he still sees many question marks because of the high costs.
According to Steiner, the power transition has already been achieved in Dorfen – and the result was a nod of approval from the committee.
He also said: "The cities will not be able to produce enough electricity." That will happen in the countryside, "even if it exceeds their own needs".
The managing director openly stated that even biomass, i.e. wood pellets, is not immune to current developments.
Most recently, prices have increased by more than 100 percent.
"Heat is the really, really big issue," he also emphasized.
Every municipality will have to accept this.