Spain – Iberdrola and FCC Ambito have launched EnergyLOOP to lead the recycling of renewable installation components, which is one of the sector’s biggest medium- and long-term challenges.
The first goal will be to recover wind turbine blade components, which are mostly glass and carbon fibres and resins, and reuse them in industries like energy, aerospace, automotive, textiles, chemicals, and construction.
In order to accomplish this, the new company intends to establish the first blade recycling plant in Spain in Navarre. The facility will be in the region’s south, a strategic location due to its proximity to some of the country’s most prominent wind farms and good connections to other wind-rich regions. The project has the backing of the Navarre government.
The plant will be Europe’s first industrial-scale plant, putting Spain at the forefront of the industry’s technological advancements. EnergyLOOP plans to invest around €10 million in the first facility and expects to create around 100 direct and indirect jobs over the next decade.
Before other countries, the Spanish wind industry will have to recycle or reuse large quantities of wind turbines. Around 5,700 wind turbines are expected to be dismantled per year in Europe by 2030, due to repowering of wind farms or facilities reaching the end of their useful life.
In this context, EnergyLOOP will invest in integrated blade recycling solutions to help transform the wind energy sector into a true circular economy. This initiative will also boost its competitiveness and long-term viability by researching and implementing new recycling technologies that will allow it to absorb rising waste volumes and implement more efficient solutions.
The project will focus on the various stages that enable the circularity of wind turbine blades, such as on-site pretreatment and conditioning, waste transportation logistics, recycling technologies, and recycled product marketing.
Collaboration
Siemens Gamesa has backed the initiative spearheaded by Iberdrola and FCC Ambito. The launch of EnergyLOOP supports FCC Ambito and Iberdrola’s circular economy strategies, which see this production and consumption model as a key lever for the energy transition. As the needs of these markets dictate, they will seek to develop equally cutting-edge recycling solutions for other components of renewable facilities, such as solar photovoltaic panels or batteries.
With this approach, the new company will seek to form the necessary alliances for effective waste recovery, extending the initiative’s positive impact to other actors throughout the value chain. It will also contribute to the necessary research and development for these materials’ effective circularity.
