ENERGYLOOP and Iberdrola Sign Agreement with SURUS for Recycling Wind Turbine Blades

ENERGYLOOP and Iberdrola has signed a collaboration agreement with SURUS with the aim of providing a joint solution for the recycling of wind turbine blades in wind farm repowering projects.

Spain is a leading country in wind energy production, fifth in the world in the ranking of countries with the highest installed wind power capacity and second in Europe.

According to the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE), Spain has 1,345 wind farms with more than 22,000 wind turbines and an installed capacity of 30,000 MW, producing 61,176 GWh of energy in 2023, which covers 27.1% of the country's energy demand. In fact, the wind energy sector contributes more than €3 billion to the Spanish GDP and employs more than 30,000 people.

In order to continue to maintain its leadership in wind energy, Spain needs to modernise its wind farms, as they need to be modernised, both because of their age (more than 36% of wind turbines are more than 15 years old) and because of their efficiency and contribution to sustainability. 

The repowering of a wind farm consists of replacing old, less powerful and less efficient equipment with new machines of greater capacity and performance, enabling the use of wind resources to be increased.

To encourage this renewal process, and given that Spain aims, according to the recent draft of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), to cover 81% of energy demand with renewable sources by 2030, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge launched in December a €223 million call for proposals for the repowering of wind farms.

One of the consequences of the repowering projects that will be addressed is the need to provide a sustainable solution for the blades of the wind turbines that have been replaced, as there are more than 66,000 blades installed in Spain.

These elements are made of polyester reinforced with fibreglass or carbon fibre, materials that can be used in a recovery process in the event that a blade has not been able to find a second useful life.

In the words of Luis Sanz, ENERGYLOOP's managing director, "this collaboration with SURUS, which has a wealth of knowledge, will undoubtedly strengthen ENERGYLOOP's activity and provide a strong boost to the circular economy, improving the necessary competitiveness and sustainability".

According to Adolfo Cancelo, managing partner of SURUS, "this agreement allows us to continue contributing our knowledge and experience in the market as an important player in the current wind repowering value chain together with a consortium of the calibre of ENERGYLOOP, all within the framework of our commitment to sustainability and the circular economy".