The transformation of gas distribution networks towards full hydrogen readiness is already in full swing in the H2vorOrt project: More than 45 gas supply companies – which together operate almost 60 percent of the German gas distribution network – have developed a transformation path for the gas network in close cooperation with the DVGW and the VKU in order to shape the regional and secure supply of climate-neutral gases in a concrete manner.

The Gas distribution Transformation Plan – GTP for short – constitutes the central and standardized planning instrument for the decarbonization of the gas distribution networks. The individual plans will in turn be consolidated into an overall plan for the whole of Germany. The ongoing exchange with TSOs creates a coherent, evolving target picture for the transformation of the German gas infrastructure to climate neutrality.

Work on the GTP is expected to be completed by 2025. Until then, the analysis and planning steps to be carried out will be intensified each year. In a first step, an initial guideline for the preparation of the GTP 2022 was already sent to the gas distribution network operators in the DVGW and the VKU in March 2022. Based on the feedback, an initial nationwide GTP will be submitted in the fall of 2022.

The GTP is therefore also a core tool for municipal heating planning, which the German government intends to introduce throughout Germany. Municipal decision-makers can use this planning as a basis for making long-term investment decisions for their municipality in the context of heat planning.