Ennatuurlijk partners with Gradyent in multi-year agreement to optimize its largest district heating system

Ennatuurlijk, one of the largest district heating providers in the Netherlands, has extended its partnership with Gradyent to optimize its largest system, Midden West Brabant, which supplies around 1 TWh of heat annually to the cities of Breda and Tilburg. As the company prepares for a transformation to sustainable heat sources by 2027, Ennatuurlijk has selected Gradyent’s Digital Twin to enhance operational efficiency and unlock new value in volatile electricity markets by leveraging the flexibility of its district heating system.

Ennatuurlijk is a Dutch district heating provider, responsible for the operation of  62 networks that together supply over 1.5 TWh of heat annually to 90,000 households and 1,200 businesses.

The company is committed to accelerating the transition to local, sustainable energy, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 and achieving full carbon neutrality by 2040. Two of its heating systems have been recognized among the most innovative and sustainable in the Netherlands.

Ennatuurlijk has entered into a multi-year agreement with Gradyent for its Midden West Brabant (MWB) district heating system. As the company’s largest and most complex system, MWB delivers around 1 TWh of heat annually to the cities of Breda and Tilburg. The partnership will optimize MWB’s evolving mix of sustainable heat sources alongside network operations to support a secure, low-carbon supply.

Major heat source transition on the path to sustainability

From 2027 onward, the MWB system will face increased operational complexity as it undergoes a major transformation in its heat sources. The current biomass power plant (Amercentrale) will be phased out and replaced by a mix of sustainable alternatives, including two E-boilers.

To manage this transition, the project will focus on optimizing both heat production and temperature control, enabling smarter use of renewable sources and greater operational flexibility. This flexibility will also allow Ennatuurlijk to respond more effectively to electricity market dynamics, increasing both efficiency and profitability while maintaining a reliable heat supply.

Recognizing the need for an intelligent, data-driven solution to navigate this growing complexity, Ennatuurlijk selected Gradyent’s Digital Twin – a decision built on a strong history of collaboration, including Hengelo, Enschede, and Helmond – delivering measurable efficiency gains and reductions in heat losses.

The expansion to Midden West Brabant marks a natural extension of this collaboration, providing Ennatuurlijk with the capability to operate its largest and most complex network more efficiently and sustainably.

Image: The Gradyent Digital Twin Platform showing real-time performance data for the Midden West Brabant district heating system

“Gradyent has previously supported Ennatuurlijk with valuable design studies across multiple networks. The Digital Twin is already successfully optimizing the district heating system in Hengelo in autopilot. Gradyent’s Platform stands out as the leading software for real-time optimization of complex district heating networks. Based on these achievements, we trust Gradyent to support us in the major heat source transformation planned for our largest district heating network.”

Rached Dekker, COO of Ennatuurlijk 

A strong partnership

This collaboration not only contributes to Ennatuurlijk’s ambition to make its heating networks more sustainable, but also to its goal of electrifying heat supply and increasing system flexibility. By adopting a portfolio-based strategy across its generation assets and networks, the company is positioning itself as an active player in the evolving energy landscape,  where heat increasingly interacts with the electricity market.

“At Gradyent, we are proud to deepen our partnership with Ennatuurlijk on this important step toward a smarter, more sustainable energy system. By combining our Digital Twin technology with Ennatuurlijk’s vision to electrify and decarbonize its heat supply, we can jointly accelerate the transition to low-carbon heating while ensuring reliability and efficiency at scale.”

Michel de Koning, Chief Commercial Officer at Gradyent