In September 2023, PRIMAGAS Germany held the opening ceremony of its Futuria DME test facility near Dresden. After almost a year of planning, the event marked the successful public start of Futuria DME endeavours in Germany.
In recent years, the building sector has become one of the most regulated policy areas across Europe. The German government aims to achieve a climate-neutral building stock by 2045. Given that heating buildings is responsible for more than 15% of Germany’s total carbon emissions, it is clear why policymakers regularly revise legislation in this sector.
The German government revised its national heating legislation in September 2023, just days before the opening of the rDME test facility. By 2028, every newly installed heating system must run on 65% renewables. Achieving this target will require heat pumps, district heating, solar thermal support, biomass, green hydrogen, and green gases—Futuria Propane is explicitly mentioned as an option, with rDME derived from biomass included in the scope.
This development was welcome news ahead of the test facility’s opening. However, implementing Futuria DME is just the first step. In addition to raising general awareness, PRIMAGAS aimed to present it as a solution for domestic and industrial customers in rural areas. PRIMAGAS was honoured to welcome the Prime Minister of Saxony, Mr Michael Kretschmer, to the event.
In his speech, Mr Kretschmer highlighted the needs of rural areas and the key role renewable molecules like Futuria Propane and Futuria DME will play. Following nationwide media coverage, we successfully communicated our renewable solutions to policymakers, showing how these renewable liquid gases will contribute to the energy transition in Germany’s rural areas.
“It was great to share our vision for a successful energy transition in rural areas with such a high-profile politician.”
—Stefan Schmidt, Head of Sustainable Fuels & Public Affairs, PRIMAGAS Germany
"It was great to share our vision for a successful energy transition in rural areas with such a high-profile politician."
Stefan Schmidt, Head of Sustainable Fuels & Public Affairs, Primagas Germany