On 20th, 21st and 22nd March 2024, WindEUROPE’s Annual Event was held in Bilbao. WindEUROPE is the largest wind energy organisation in the world, made up of over 500 companies located in 35 countries and attended by the main manufacturers, operators and service providers in the wind energy sector. 

With more than 12,000 attendees, 250 speakers and 500 exhibitors, this is the main event in Europe in the wind energy sector, with top-level institutional representation this year, including the Spanish Government’s Third Vice-President and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, representatives of the European Commission and the Ministries for the Environment and Energy of the governments of Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Ukraine, Denmark, Croatia, Lithuania, Norway, Turkey, Greece and Moldova, as well as the top executives from the main companies in the sector: IBERDROLA, EDP, NATIONAL GRID, REPSOL, RWE or SIEMENS GAMESA, among others.

Within the congress, the "Powering the Future Stage" programme, organised by IBERDROLA, hosted several interactive talks and debates aimed at promoting a more sustainable, resilient and efficient use of energy during the electrification process required in the transition to a net-zero emissions future, through a new approach based on digitalisation, innovation and the circular economy.

In this scenario, ENERGYLOOP, represented by Iván Botamino, head of the Materials Engineering and Renewable Energy department from FCC Ámbito’s Technical Management was invited to participate in the technical session named "The recycling of wind turbine blades: The importance of the circular economy". Moderated by IBERDROLA, the session provided an overview of all sectors involved in the life cycle of wind turbines, from the perspective of the manufacturer (SIEMENS GAMESA), the operator (EDPR), the final valoriser of materials (ENERGYLOOP) and researcher (E.T.S.I. INDUSTRIALES de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid).

The session assessed the main aspects to be considered during the complete life cycle of wind turbine blades in order to make further progress in the sustainability of the wind sector, definitively ruling out disposal as an alternative in the life cycle of any of its components. Among the final conclusions, technical and operational collaboration between the different actors was highlighted as a fundamental requirement in order to obtain the best possible result from the perspective of circular economy and sustainability.

ENERGYLOOP is the company owned by IBERDROLA, through its PERSEO programme, and FCC Ámbito, a subsidiary of FCC Servicios Medio Ambiente, whose purpose is to lead the recycling of wind turbine components, one of the biggest medium- and long-term challenges in the sector. The initial objective is the recovery of wind turbine blade components and their reuse in production sectors such as energy, aerospace, automotive, textile, chemical and construction, although its activity is not restricted to the recovery of other wind turbine elements.