WPNL 202101

These proved that oysters can grow and reproduce there. “They
also have the permit already in place, so starting there would make
sense if we are to monitor reef enhancement with our Reefy
blocks,” Ascencio said.
The men were also able to draw from the lessons learned in the
oyster cage project. Sand waves made the cages sink in the seabed.
“This is why we have to make a stable but at the same time high
structure. But if you make it too high it will collapse. It requires
the right balance so oysters know they will be free of sand to
survive.
It also requires the right balance between the marine contractor
and the installation costs, engineering on stability, the complexity
for marine life and the sand waves. Ascencio: “We are making a
plan for both sites. See what will be possible and where, identify
the pros and cons and the budget. We provided The Rich North
Sea with a quotation for the block, it now depends on the site and
the budget for the complete project.”
Good business case
“Decommissioning is very expensive, therefore, whether you are
green or not, this is a wise economic option,” Ascencio says. Even
if legislation allows the structure to remain at the site after
decommissioning of the wind farm, depending on the scale, the
Reefy blocks could even be cheaper than concrete blocks, he adds.
This has to do with the blocks being hollow containers and as
such, enable a massive volume reduction.”
Future goals
Ascencio explains Reefy’s vision on the future: “We want to spark
a green revolution in the world of marine infrastructure. Our goal
is to provide solutions that will enhance nature and bring benefits
to clients like offshore wind farms and coastal protection. Reefy is
a very international orientated company as reef structures are
needed all around the world. In the long term we would like to
have partners in different locations worldwide that could help us
scale up.
At this stage we also try to collaborate with internationally
operating companies, like Boskalis and Van Oord, to help us make
the first step in key parts of the world. The exposure we received
from the Challenge helped us get in contact with those big
companies.”
The solutions by Reefy have not gone unnoticed and Reefy won
several awards and nominations outside the Offshore Wind
Innovation Challenge, such as the CleantechNL challenge,
NENnovation Award 2020, BLUEBIO Acceleration, EU
Blueinvest award 2021. They also received a grant from the
province of Zuid-Holland.
Most recently they have been provided two tickets, one from
Boskalis and one from the Port of Rotterdam, for the PortXL
program. Here they will work towards a pilot project in the
port of Rotterdam. The precise project will become clear in a
few months’ time
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