In municipal heat planning, hydrogen can be considered a supplementary option, especially if local structures make direct use or integration into existing or new heating networks technically and economically feasible. From the perspective of many municipalities and regions, hydrogen offers additional scope, for example to supply industrial process heat requirements or potential large consumers such as data centres, if other renewable heat sources are limited locally. This panel will discuss the extent to which hydrogen can make a meaningful contribution to robust and sustainable heat planning under these conditions.