On Wednesday, 4th October 2023, a new edition of the Wind Farm Operational Workshop organized by the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE from its acronym in Spanish) was held, covering topics such as offshore wind, resource modeling, life extension or repowering, component improvement, new materials, as well as key environmental and sustainability aspects of the activity. It is a benchmark event in the sector, as it plays a fundamental role as a forum for technical and technological knowledge of the wind energy sector in Spain.

ENERGYLOOP, which has recently joined the AEE, participated in the conference with a specific presentation focused on the challenges of recycling wind turbine blades, analyzing the fundamental aspects and difficulties in the recovery of this type of waste, and presenting the new management model which it has developed, based on continuous innovation, the ability to adapt to a highly variable waste stream, a circular approach aimed at retaining the highest possible value in the recovered materials, as well as the search for a broad spectrum industrial symbiosis, with multiple industrial recipients for secondary raw materials. The presentation was given by Iván Botamino García, Head of the Land and Materials Engineering department, belonging to the Technical Management of FCC Ámbito.

ENERGYLOOP is the company formed by Iberdrola, through its PERSEO program, and FCC Ámbito, a subsidiary of FCC Servicios Medio Ambiente, whose purpose is to lead the recycling of components of wind power installations, one of the greatest challenges in the medium and long term in the sector. The initial objective is to recover the components of wind turbine blades and reuse them in sectors such as energy, aerospace, automobiles, textiles, chemicals and construction.

To this aim, ENERGYLOOP will start the construction of its blade recycling plant in the next few weeks in the Navarre municipality of Cortes, with the intention to start operating in the second half of 2024.

ENERGYLOOP contributes to the transformation of the wind energy sector into a true circular economy through investment in integrated blade recycling solutions. This initiative will also improve its competitiveness and sustainability through the research and implementation of new recycling technologies that will make it possible to absorb the increasing amounts of waste and adopt increasingly efficient solutions.