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15 December 2025

MNEXT and Waterschap Aa & Maas work together on a smarter energy system for the future

Within the GroenvermogenNL project HyUSE, MNEXT has started a new collaboration with Waterschap Aa & Maas. The water authority provides historical energy and process data, enabling MNEXT to develop an energy model for a future water treatment facility. This model explores how energy consumption, local energy generation and energy purchasing at the right moments can be optimally aligned.

This collaboration introduces a new practical case within HyUSE. The future water treatment facility provides a relevant context to investigate how an energy-intensive process can operate within an increasingly flexible energy system. It offers a realistic basis for translating insights from HyUSE to applications within the water sector.

Modelling as a foundation for new insights

MNEXT maps the current situation and explores multiple future scenarios. These include:

  • the balance between energy consumption, local generation and energy procurement

  • options to manage peaks and fluctuations in the energy system

  • the potential role of methane and biogas in the future, for example through the use of a solid oxide electrolyser and fuel cell

These modelling activities provide concrete guidance for both short- and long-term decision-making and contribute to solutions for capacity constraints on the electricity grid (grid congestion).

Research within a broader innovation framework

The HyUSE project is part of the GroenvermogenNL programme and is carried out by a consortium of more than thirty partners from education, industry and research. Adding this water sector case highlights the broad applicability of insights developed within HyUSE.

Through this collaboration, MNEXT and Waterschap Aa & Maas take an important step towards a future-proof energy system, in which water treatment goes hand in hand with smart energy use.