REDstack’s Dream is Growing Closer

Excellent news for Dutch company REDstack. They are receiving €5 million from the Wadden Fund to build a new power plant on the Afsluitdijk, which separates the Wadden Sea and the IJsselmeer. The new power plant is follows from an earlier trial to generate ‘blue energy’ by mixing and then separating fresh and salt water. The existing plant on the Afsluitdijk is being expanded.

The Wadden Fund is a joint scheme by the provinces in the Northern Netherlands. The fund invests in initiatives and projects that strengthen the ecology and sustainable economic development of the Wadden Sea region [a world heritage site, ed.]. REDstack aims to demonstrate that large-scale energy generation is possible near a vulnerable natural area. The premise should attract investors, hopes REDstack director Rik Siebers. “We want to prove that it works; that it is easy to scale up.”

REDstack, a Water Alliance member, has been working on clean energy generation for years. Over the years, they have had many setbacks in the pilot plant at Breezanddijk. They have mastered the process through trial and error. With the grant and concrete expansion plans, Siebers and founder Pieter Hack’s dream of making this a good, sustainable and reliable energy source is growing ever closer.