Mayors attack Lars Aagaard: Minister creates confusion about large-scale district heating rollout
Af Camilla Buus Poulsen
It’s not just at Christiansborg that there is dissatisfaction with the embattled Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Lars Aagaard (Moderates).
There is also widespread discontent among the country’s mayors, as the minister on Wednesday faced a fiery opposition during a parliamentary hearing about concealed delays at Energinet.
The reason is a statement from Lars Aagaard regarding the phase-out of gas for space heating. According to several mayors, the minister has made a complete U-turn on the issue of whether gas boilers should be phased out from private homes.
Aagaard’s latest message suggests that gas boilers might still be allowed to remain — directly contradicting previous statements from the government.
–You get the impression that we’re still supposed to move forward with the district heating rollout, but at the same time, it doesn’t seem very important to the minister whether we succeed or not, says Kenneth Gøtterup (Conservatives), mayor of Dragør.
– It’s problematic because it’s a different message than what we’ve previously heard from the government, says Mette Landtved-Holm (Liberal Party), mayor of Nordfyn Municipality.
– If we’re supposed to stop the district heating efforts, I’d rather be told that outright than receive a vague message suggesting one option is just as good as the other, says Marie Stærke (Social Democrats), mayor of Køge.
Read the Minister's full response
Dear Mayors and Representatives of Energy Companies,
Thank you for your inquiry and for your contributions to the green transition of the heating sector.
First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your tremendous efforts in phasing out gas in household heating. I have great respect for the work that municipalities and energy companies have put in over the past years. It is precisely due to this effort that Evida is able to continuously report that new households are disconnecting from gas. According to Evida, around 80,000 Danes have replaced their gas boilers with alternatives such as district heating or heat pumps since the beginning of 2022. In comparison, Evida reports that in 2023, only 47 new gas customers were connected to the gas system.
With the “Climate Agreement on Green Power and Heat from 2022”, a political ambition was set that, by 2035, no homes in Denmark should be heated by gas boilers, and that by 2030, the production of green gas should exceed the consumption of pipeline gas. The agreement also states that, by 2026 at the latest, the government will present possible initiatives and the necessary funding to meet these ambitions.
In this regard, it is important for the government that there is a well-informed and well-supported decision-making basis, which, among other things, addresses the costs for households, businesses, and society as a whole.
In this context, we must also consider that the gas used in Denmark is increasingly green, and that from a climate perspective, it is not so important whether the heat comes from district heating, a heat pump, or green gas. According to the Climate Status and Projections 2024 (KF24), it is estimated with some uncertainty that Danish gas consumption is expected to be 100% green by 2029. Further phase-out of gas boilers will, according to the report, not have a CO₂ effect in Denmark once the production of biogas exceeds the consumption of pipeline gas.
Regarding Evida's efforts and the framework for shutting down parts of the gas distribution network, which you also address in your inquiry, the “Climate Agreement on Green Power and Heat 2022” decided to mandate Evida to map areas where it is considered appropriate to shut down sub-areas of the gas distribution system, including considerations for gas-consuming businesses. The first mapping was published in October 2023, and an updated mapping was published in November 2024. The mapping shows that most of the gas distribution system is expected to be economically viable through 2050. At the same time, work is ongoing under the political agreement to explore possible models for a planned shutdown of parts of the gas distribution system. This requires legal authority, which must align with both national and EU legislation.
Finally, I would encourage you to continue the planning work in municipalities so that citizens can gain clarity about their future heating supply options. In this regard, the most important thing for me is that the heating supply must be green, no matter where it comes from. Furthermore, consumers should have influence over their choice of heating solution and thus be able to select the green heating solution that is economically and otherwise optimal. This also applies to gas consumption—insofar as there is any gas consumption at all.
Kind regards,
Lars Aagaard
"Not so important"
At the heart of the municipal frustration is a letter the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities sent in February to 13 of the country’s mayors.
The occasion was the mayors’ persistent concerns that the large-scale district heating rollout, which municipalities were tasked with in 2022, is on the verge of failing.
But in his response, the minister writes that “it’s not so important whether the heat comes from district heating, a heat pump, or green gas.”
Green gas refers to biogas, which is expected to have replaced natural gas in the Danish gas system by 2030.
Lars Aagaard further writes that it could end up being “economically viable” to continue operating the gas grid that supplies private gas boilers up until 2050.
It’s completely incomprehensible to me that the government hasn’t come out and said whether they still stand by our 2022 agreement or not Mayor of Dragør Municipality, Kenneth Gøtterup.
Heat under district heating
Aagaard’s statement, however, contradicts the government’s official policy.
Parliament has agreed that gas for space heating should be phased out by 2035. Climate-friendly district heating is to replace gas boilers wherever possible, and heat pumps are meant to handle the rest.
That agreement was reached in 2022 as part of a broad political deal to shield Danes from sky-high energy prices and ensure green heating in homes.
– That decision was made in response to the war in Ukraine. Three years later, the war is still ongoing, and the geopolitical situation hasn’t exactly become any more stable, says Kenneth Gøtterup.
– It’s completely incomprehensible to me that the government hasn’t come out and said whether they still stand by our 2022 agreement or not, he adds.
The mayor of Nordfyn agrees.
– We need clarity on whether the minister’s statement reflects a new reality we have to adapt to, or if the goal is still to phase out gas by 2035, says Mette Landtved-Holm.
When the minister makes a statement like this, it confuses us. It leaves us in a place where we don’t know what to do. Marie Stærke (S), mayor of Køge Municipality
For Marie Stærke, the unclear message from the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities is particularly problematic because it shakes the foundation of the district heating efforts Køge Municipality has spent years getting off the ground.
– Municipalities are like big engine rooms—it takes a long time to get them started and set a direction. So when the Prime Minister clearly tells us it’s time to get the district heating going, that’s exactly what we do, says Marie Stærke.
– When the minister makes a statement like this, it confuses us. It leaves us in a place where we don’t know what to do.
Half-hearted phase-out
With the “Agreement on accelerated planning for the phase-out of gas for heating and clear communication to citizens” from the summer of 2022, municipalities were instructed to put the gas phase-out into high gear.
By the end of that year, municipalities were expected to have heating plans ready, and homeowners with gas boilers were to be clearly informed whether district heating would be coming to their area. Project approvals were to be fast-tracked so that energy companies could roll out cheap and green district heating to the public by 2028 at the latest. No homes were to be heated with gas after 2035.
But as gas prices dropped, so did homeowners’ willingness to replace a functioning gas boiler with costly district heating.
In 2023, 30 out of 75 municipalities reported to Local Government Denmark (KL) that they were not seeing the expected progress on their district heating projects. In 2024, heating companies approved only half the expected number of gas conversions. That same year, nearly 4,000 new gas boilers were installed in Denmark.
In Nordfyn, the numbers aren’t adding up either.
– Far too few are signing up for our district heating projects, and I no longer believe district heating will come to the planned areas, says Mette Landtved-Holm.
– We’ve realized that district heating is too expensive for people. Some have to pay over 200,000 kroner to get district heating in a single-family home. No one wants to invest in that, she adds.
For Kenneth Gøtterup, there’s a direct link between the mixed messages from Christiansborg and the lack of motivation among homeowners to connect to the district heating grid.
– People don’t believe the government means what they said back in 2022. And when that’s the case, of course people won’t sign up for district heating, says Kenneth Gøtterup.
Marie Stærke agrees.
– I fear that projects will fall through because citizens have lost trust in district heating—not only due to the high prices, but also because of the minister’s shifting messages and lack of action, she says.
According to her, the picture painted by Lars Aagaard doesn’t align with how politicians at Christiansborg have otherwise handled municipalities’ concerns.
– I’ve always experienced that our concerns about the district heating rollout have been taken very seriously at Christiansborg. That’s why I was truly surprised by the minister’s letter. It was completely different from what I’ve heard, for example, when talking to members of my own party, says Marie Stærke.
Questioning the agreement
The new signals from the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities prompted another letter to the ministry in March.
Read the Mayors' response to the Minister for Climate, Energy, and Utilities
Follow-up on the letter regarding the phase-out of gas for space heating
Thank you for your response to our inquiry "There is a need to set an end date for gas for residential heating."
We are compelled to send a follow-up inquiry, as we believe the letter describes two issues that are not in alignment with the government's previous decisions.
First, it was clearly stated in the "Climate Agreement on Green Power and Heat" from 2022 that the ambition was to ensure that, by 2035, no homes in Denmark would be heated by gas boilers.
Based on this, municipalities have developed heating plans for all existing gas-heated areas and decided whether residents in these areas should be offered district heating in the future. In areas where, based on socio-economic, company-economic, and user-economic assessments, it has been economically viable, each household has received clear information on when they can expect district heating.
The new statements from the Minister for Climate, Energy, and Utilities that "the majority of the gas distribution system is expected to be economically viable through 2050" have already created significant uncertainty among citizens. In several potential new district heating areas, this uncertainty has resulted in insufficient subscription rates, as citizens understandably do not wish to invest in a new district heating system if they can instead keep their gas boilers—at least until 2050!
The second issue that contradicts the previous planning is the statement that "it doesn't matter whether the heat comes from district heating, a heat pump, or green gas."
The phase-out of gas and the establishment of district heating instead is a major investment, and it would not be economically viable to maintain both a gas network and a district heating network in the same area. A choice must be made. It is not irrelevant whether the heat comes from gas (even if it is green) or from district heating (which is certainly green).
Taken together, these two new messages from the Minister suggest that the ongoing district heating rollout in municipalities is very likely to stall. They also mean that Denmark would maintain a high level of gas consumption, which could otherwise be used in industry, the transport sector, or for export.
We have sent a copy of this letter to the Climate, Energy, and Utilities Committee of the Folketing, along with a question asking whether the committee agrees with the new statements made by the Minister for Climate, Energy, and Utilities.
Kind regards,
Kenneth Gøtterup – Mayor of Dragør Municipality
Frank Schmidt-Hansen – Mayor of Vejen Municipality
Allan S. Andersen – Mayor of Tårnby Municipality
Peter Rahbæk Juel – Mayor of Odense Municipality
Mette Landtved-Holm – Mayor of Nordfyns Municipality
Ole Vind – Mayor of Hedensted Municipality
Henning Urban Dam Nielsen – Mayor of Stevns Municipality
Mads Sørensen – Mayor of Varde Municipality
Marie Stærke – Mayor of Køge Municipality
Carsten Rasmussen – Mayor of Næstved Municipality
Jesper Frost Rasmussen – Mayor of Esbjerg Municipality
Bent Hansen – Mayor of Gribskov Municipality
Knud Vincents – Mayor of Slagelse Municipality
This time, the group of mayors also reached out to the Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee in Parliament.
According to Kenneth Gøtterup, the purpose is to get clarity on whether the parties outside the government still consider the 2022 agreement to be valid.
– Do the agreement parties still believe there’s a deal? Or has the government walked away from it? asks Kenneth Gøtterup.
According to the national gas distribution company Evida, there were 280,000 private gas customers in Denmark as of December 2024.
Energy Supply presented the mayors’ criticism to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, which declined to comment on the matter. Instead, the ministry issued a general statement noting, among other things, that the government plans to present possible initiatives for phasing out gas boilers in 2026.
A shaky seat
The criticism comes at a time when Lars Aagaard is facing intense political pressure.
In March, Zetland revealed that the minister had withheld information about major delays in the expansion of the Danish electricity grid.
Since then, the opposition has worked intensively to gather the necessary majority to force Aagaard out of office.
After a marathon parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, however, the minister left the meeting with a majority in the Folketing still behind him.
That majority was secured with the support of several independent MPs and three North Atlantic mandates.
Following the hearing, a majority in the Climate, Energy and Utilities Committee chose to express a lack of confidence in the minister. The opposition continues to insist that Lars Aagaard should resign.
