The Modena purification plant has been equipped with a leading-edge system, the only one of its kind in Italy, which uses predictive logic to further reduce energy consumption and improve the quality of the outgoing water. The project was supported by Energy Way, and involved developing a control system based on MPC (Model predictive control) and artificial intelligence to optimise the oxygen supply to the oxidation tanks. The project has the following objectives: ¥ to improve the performance of total nitrogen abatement compared to the regulatory limits; ¥ to optimise oxygen delivery in the aerobic compartment; ¥ to minimize the energy costs of air blowers. The project also included the development of a dynamic baseline aimed at forecasting energy consumption, to quantify the real performance of the process and develop multi-variable, real-time energy and production performance indicators, aimed at improving control over the real performance of the wastewater purification plant. The pilot project yielded positive results: the line in which this control system is present, the Modenese purification plant, which has the capacity to meet the needs of 500,000 inhabitants, decreased the amount of energy needed for its oxidation process by 16%, compared to what was found in a similar situation with a traditional control system, and decreased the presence of nitrogen in outgoing water (a parameter already below the regulatory limits) by a further 8.1%