Global energy and electricity provider Iberdrola and industrial and commercial waste management company FCC Ámbito announced today the launch of EnergyLOOP, a new company aimed at advancing the recycling of renewable installation components, beginning with wind turbine blades.

According to Iberdrola, with more than 28 GW of installed capacity, the Spanish wind industry will need to recycle or reuse significant quantities of wind turbines before other countries. In Europe, in 2030, about 5,700 wind turbines will be dismantled yearly, originating from the repowering of wind farms or facilities reaching end of life.

Iberdrola stated that the initial objective will be the recovery of wind turbine blade components – glass and carbon fibres and resins, and making them reusable in the energy, aerospace, automotive, textiles, chemicals and construction sectors.

EnergyLOOP also plans to set up Spain’s first blade recycling plant in Navarre and intends to invest around €10 million in the first facility. The new plant will also be the first industrial-scale turbine blade recycling facility in Europe.

The project will work on the different stages that enable the circularity of wind turbine blades, including on-site pre-treatment and conditioning, waste transport logistics, recycling technologies, and the marketing of recycled products.

EnergyLOOP will also seek to forge alliances for the recovery of waste and contribute to the research and development necessary for the effective circularity of these materials, and has already established a collaboration agreement with Siemens Gamesa.

The launch was made through Iberdrola’s PERSEO Venture Builder program, which invests in innovative industrial companies engaged in new electrification areas and in difficult-to-decarbonise sectors.