A report issued by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult highlights the benefits of a circular supply chain for offshore wind turbines. It identifies key components and materials used in most offshore wind turbines operating in UK waters and identifies whether they can be refurbished, reused, remanufactured, materials recovered, or recycled.
The report identifies two key issues for the offshore wind industry: significant challenges for decommissioning offshore wind and a materials crisis for new builds. Thus far, decommissioning offshore wind turbines has only happened in a small number of demonstration turbines and turbines that have been damaged beyond repair.
Focusing on finding solutions to the growing challenge of wind farm decommissioning, the 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.
It recommends that the material management industry develop a circular economy supply chain focused on remanufacture, refurbishment, and recycling. The current uncertainty around the offshore wind decommissioning timeline makes it hard for the industry to know when to expect large volumes of decommissioned turbine material.
Provide supply chain certainty
ORE Catapult’s report states that the supply chain is “keen and ready” to take on the challenge of offshore wind decommissioning, but it is uncertain when it will begin to happen on a large scale.
Uncertainty exists due to factors including plans for life extension, the energy crisis and an increased political interest in accelerating offshore wind installations. Providing that certainty would enable the supply chain to prepare to handle and process decommissioned wind farms.
The report says operators could be more transparent about their decision-making process to make supply chains more responsive. Additionally, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) could use material passports to collect necessary data for the end-of-life stage.
Technologies and experience should be “sought and utilised” from other sectors to support greater opportunities for material circularity in the wind industry. Indeed, the report says cross-sector collaboration will be essential in bringing economies of scale and investment, which are crucial to finding viable recycling solutions.
Tricky waste management regulations
Authorities have yet to clarify whether all materials must be fully recovered on decommissioning or whether some aspects could be abandoned and turned into artificial reefs to encourage biodiversity and marine habitat development.
Waste management regulations vary between the nations of the UK and the EU. The report claims that the single biggest contribution to ensuring that materials can be reused or recycled is for asset owners not to use words such as “disposal” and “waste” in decommissioning tender contracts.
Those terms instantly devalue the materials, classifying them as waste under the regulations and limiting the opportunities for them to be reprocessed in any way. Clear and wind-specific policy, regulations and legislation are required to support and guide decision-making.
Vanessa Smithson-Paul, project manager, development & operations at 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.”
