Mahmood Abdoos, Hossein Yousefi
District heating serves as an effective solution for enhancing energy efficiency, mitigating seasonal imbalances, and facilitating the transition from fossil fuels particularly natural gas used for space heating in Iranian buildings thereby playing a pivotal role in achieving climate objectives and promoting urban resilience. This study employs spatial modeling within a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework to analyze existing energy sources in Iran, including steam, gas, combined-cycle, solar, and biomass power plants. The analysis considers factors such as proximity to heat demand centers, generation capacity, and heat transfer infrastructure. Steam power plants in Iran are predominantly located near major urban centers, with Isfahan, Gilan, Razavi Khorasan, Qazvin, and Hamadan identified as key provinces. Gas power plants exhibit significant potential in Mazandaran, Tehran, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Razavi Khorasan, while Khuzestan, Isfahan, and Hormozgan are notable due to their industrial roles. Combined-cycle power plants demonstrate optimal spatial distribution across Alborz, Gilan, Qom, Razavi Khorasan, Kerman, Tehran, Kurdistan, Khuzestan, and Isfahan, rendering them highly suitable for integration into district heating systems. Overall, Razavi Khorasan, Tehran, and Isfahan consistently emerge as the most favorable provinces across all power plant types, owing to their combination of population density, industrial activity, and energy infrastructure. These regions hold substantial potential for supporting zero-energy urban neighborhoods through connectivity to district heating networks. For the first time in Iran a developing country context allowable connection distances were classified based on technical, environmental, and regulatory criteria. By addressing the existing research gap concerning spatial linkages between energy supply and demand, this study proposes a strategic pathway for developing low-carbon thermal infrastructure, including the establishment of zero-energy urban districts in Iranian cities. The proposed framework evaluates Iran's energy imbalances and offers a strategic direction for the expansion of low-carbon heating infrastructure.