MIJNWATER WARMTE INFRA BV

Their core work

Mijnwater operates a real urban mine water thermal network in Heerlen, Netherlands — one of Europe's few full-scale systems that extracts geothermal energy from flooded coal mine shafts to heat and cool buildings via a district network. Their work sits at the intersection of infrastructure operation and applied research: they don't just study thermal grids, they run one daily, generating live operational data that research partners cannot replicate in a lab. In EU projects, they contribute as a demonstration site and operational expert — testing smart control algorithms (STORM) and showcasing waste heat recovery pathways at city scale (REWARDHeat). For a consortium builder, they are a rare thing: a small private company with a physical, functioning low-carbon heat infrastructure that can serve as a real-world testbed.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (STORM, 2015–2019), Mijnwater's focus was operational: managing a thermal grid intelligently through self-organising control systems, with no explicit keywords pointing to renewables integration or broader energy system thinking. By REWARDHeat (2019–2024), the framing had shifted outward — from managing one network to recovering and integrating waste and renewable heat at a systems level, with digitalisation and sector coupling emerging as explicit themes. The trajectory is clear: from a local infrastructure operator focused on grid performance, toward a European demonstration partner for the decarbonisation of urban heat supply.

Mijnwater is evolving from a single-site operational specialist into a broader demonstration partner for urban heat decarbonisation, with growing interest in digital tools and multi-energy system integration — making them an increasingly relevant testbed partner for Horizon Europe energy transition projects.

How they like to work

Mijnwater has never led an H2020 project — they join exclusively as a participant, contributing operational infrastructure and real-world data rather than scientific coordination. Despite being a 2-person-scale SME, they have worked with 39 distinct partners across 12 countries, which suggests they are in demand as a demonstration site rather than as a repeat collaborator with a fixed circle. For a potential partner, this means they bring unique physical assets and operational credibility, but expect to be embedded in a larger consortium where another partner drives scientific leadership.

Mijnwater has connected with 39 unique consortium partners across 12 countries — a surprisingly broad network for a 2-project SME, reflecting their value as a sought-after demonstration site. Their geographic reach spans most of Europe, though their own operations are anchored firmly in the southern Netherlands.

What sets them apart

Mijnwater is one of very few organisations anywhere in Europe that operates a live, city-scale mine water geothermal heating and cooling system — a physical asset that turns decades of post-industrial legacy (flooded coal mines) into low-carbon heat. This makes them essentially irreplaceable in a consortium that needs a real-world testbed for thermal network innovation rather than a simulation or pilot. For any project tackling urban heat decarbonisation, low-temperature district networks, or waste heat integration at city scale, they offer something no university lab or engineering consultancy can provide: a working system with paying customers and five-plus years of operational data.

Highlights from their portfolio

• REWARDHeat
  The larger-scope project in terms of thematic ambition — connecting Mijnwater's mine water infrastructure to the broader European challenge of making district heating networks competitive through waste and renewable heat recovery, with digitalisation and sector coupling as explicit outcomes.
• STORM
  Mijnwater's first EU project and their highest-funded (EUR 390,929), focused on self-organising control of thermal grids — establishing them as a credible real-world testbed partner for smart thermal network research.