RIFT Secures Major Funding to Advance Iron Fuel Technology
Dutch deep tech startup RIFT has raised €114 million to accelerate the development and commercial deployment of its iron-based clean energy technology, positioning metal fuels as a promising alternative to fossil fuels. The fresh capital will support the scale-up of RIFT’s proprietary systems that use iron powder as a recyclable energy carrier for industrial heat and power generation.
Iron as a Circular, Combustion-Free Fuel
RIFT is pioneering a process in which finely ground iron acts as a carbon-free fuel. When oxidised, iron powder releases high-temperature heat comparable to that produced by coal or gas, but without emitting CO₂ or harmful air pollutants at the point of use. The resulting rust (iron oxide) can then be regenerated back into iron using renewable electricity, creating a closed, circular fuel cycle.
By decoupling energy generation from intermittent sources like wind and solar, iron fuel aims to solve one of the hardest problems in the energy transition: delivering reliable, high-grade industrial heat without fossil fuels. This makes the technology particularly attractive for sectors such as chemicals, steel, and district heating, where electrification alone is often insufficient or prohibitively expensive.
Scaling Deep Tech for Industrial Decarbonisation
The €114 million round underscores growing investor confidence in European deep tech solutions for decarbonisation. The funding will be channelled into building larger pilot installations, optimising RIFT’s fuel production and regeneration lines, and expanding collaborations with industrial partners in the Netherlands and across Europe.
RIFT plans to demonstrate that iron fuel can integrate into existing boilers and burners with minimal retrofitting, lowering adoption barriers for energy-intensive customers. If successful at scale, the company’s approach could complement green hydrogen, battery storage, and other clean energy technologies, offering a dense, easily transported energy carrier that leverages existing global supply chains for metals.
As governments tighten climate targets and industry faces mounting pressure to cut emissions, RIFT is positioning iron fuel as a pragmatic, infrastructure-compatible step toward climate-neutral energy systems.