Iberdrola's EnergyLOOP enters wind turbine blade recycling partnership

EnergyLOOP, a company owned by recycling specialists FCC Ámbito and energy company Iberdrola has signed an agreement with Surus to provide a solution for the recycling of wind turbine blades in wind farm repowering projects.

Spanish sustainability solutions firm Surus will collaborate with EnergyLOOP to provide a recycling solution for blades of wind turbines that have been replaced, of which there are more than 66,000 in Spain according to the partners.

EnergyLOOP will open its €10 million ($11 million) blade recycling plant in 2024 in the Navarre municipality of Cortes.

Under the agreement, Surus will provide a flow of elements from those projects where it executes its circular dismantling, and blades that have not been marketed for reuse will be given to EnergyLOOP for recycling.

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The blades 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.

Adolfo Cancelo, managing partner of SURUS, said in a statement: "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".

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 30,000MW, producing 61,176 GWh of energy in 2023, which covers 27.1% of the country's energy demand.

To continue producing wind power on this scale, Spain must modernise its wind farms to ensure greater efficiency and ensure sustainability. According to EnergyLOOP, more than 36% of wind turbines are more than 15 years old, which will require the implementation of repowering projects.

This will ensure old, less powerful and less efficient equipment will be replaced with new machines of greater capacity and performance, enabling the use of wind resources to be increased.

Wind farm repowering is backed by the Spanish government. The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge launched the €223 million ($251 million) call for proposals for the repowering of wind farms in December 2022.