New report highlights supply chain opportunities from effective wind turbine decommissioning

A new report issued today (17 June 2024) by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult highlights supply chain opportunities and economic value linked to decommissioning end-of-life offshore wind turbines.

At the heart of the report is an in-depth examination of the materials and components which make up most types of offshore wind turbines operating in UK waters. The research breaks down turbine composition into individual subsystems and component parts, and identifies whether each material or component can be refurbished, reused, remanufactured, materials recovered, or recycled.

The research also highlights the potential UK supply chain opportunities associated with offshore wind decommissioning. The report makes clear the potential opportunities and environmental benefits linked to recycling or reusing high value materials and components such as steel, engineered metal alloys, copper, and rare earth magnet materials.

This work was carried out as part of the Circular Economy for the Wind Sector (CEWS) Joint Industry programme, delivered by ORE Catapult, with industry partners including RWE, TOTAL Energies and Equinor.

Vanessa Smithson-Paul, Project Manager, Development & Operations, ORE Catapult said: “We are excited to share this important new research which follows extensive consultation across industry and the supply chain. These conversations have helped us to identify crucial gaps, revealing the opportunities which exist for new technologies or solutions within a circular supply chain.

“We’re grateful to the companies that engaged with us for sharing their valuable insights and helping us highlight the opportunities across the decommissioning landscape, showing that collaboration is not only critical, but desired across industry.”