RWE and Siemens: Boosting Circular Offshore Supply Chains

RWE and Siemens Gamesa are working together to bring recyclable wind turbine blades to life, and this project is already underway at Sofia Offshore Wind Farm in the North Sea.

The goal is to cut down waste, reduce environmental impact and keep as much material as possible circulating in the supply chain after wind turbines reach the end of their working life.

Recycling has long been a challenge in the wind energy sector. While nearly 90% of a wind turbine can be reused or repurposed, the blades often pose a sticking point.

Made from composite materials and resin systems that are built for strength and durability, they’re not easy to separate or process once decommissioned. More often than not, they’re landfilled.

However, that approach is under pressure. WindEurope, the industry body representing the wind energy sector, is calling for a continent-wide ban on landfilling turbine blades by 2025. Austria, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands already have bans in place, but the organisation wants consistency across the board.

Giles Dickson, Chief Executive Officer at WindEurope, explains: “Wind energy is a green technology.

"Sustainability is part of our DNA. That’s why we are constantly striving to further reduce our impact on the environment.

"ban on landfilling wind turbine blades will help accelerate the development of sustainable recycling technologies… we call upon the European Commission to propose a harmonised European approach.”

Turning turbine waste into supply chain value

To address the blade recycling issue head-on, RWE has turned to Siemens Gamesa’s RecyclableBlade technology. These blades use a specially developed resin system that allows the materials within to be separated at the end of their operational life.

Once processed, the recovered materials can go on to form components for cars, bikes, helmets or even luggage.

At the Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, 150 of these recyclable blades are being installed across 50 turbines. The wind farm as a whole includes 100 turbines and, once complete, it's expected to generate enough renewable electricity to power around 1.2 million typical UK households.

Thomas Michel, Chief Operating Officer at RWE Offshore Wind, says this step forward: “This installation represents an important moment for RWE and Sofia.

"Deploying recyclable blades at this scale is an indicator of RWE’s drive to deliver sustainability across its renewables fleet.

"By working with partners like Siemens Gamesa, we are setting a new sustainability benchmark for renewables development and helping significantly improve the circularity of offshore wind technology.”

In supply chain terms, this means materials used in wind turbine manufacturing no longer have to exit the cycle after a single use.

Instead of creating demand for new raw materials or clogging up landfill sites, those same materials can re-enter the production line in other industries.

Building circularity into blade design

Siemens Gamesa is targeting 100% recyclable turbines by 2040 and the RecyclableBlade technology is a core step towards that.

Rather than an overhaul of their entire production system, the switch required only the use of a new resin – a change described as relatively straightforward by the company.

Darren Davidson, Vice President of Siemens Energy UK&I and Siemens Gamesa UK, says: “Seeing the first recyclable blades being installed in UK waters is a major landmark moment. This is a great example of how we can share knowledge and work together to deliver on both energy security and a net zero future.

"Our Hull factory is at the cutting edge of blade technology development & manufacturing. As a global leader in energy technology, we’re proud to be partnering with RWE on Sofia, one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world.”

As turbine sizes increase and installations rise across Europe and beyond, the pressure on supply chains will only grow. Introducing recyclable components at scale not only addresses waste, but it also future-proofs material sourcing by keeping core resources in use.

Designing infrastructure with supply chains in mind

For RWE, this project feeds directly into the company’s wider climate and emissions goals. The energy firm says it has halved emissions from its operated plants in a year and aims to continue expanding its wind and solar capacity.

By 2030, RWE is targeting a 70% cut in Scope 1 and 2 emissions with a view to reaching net zero by 2040.

Kunal Chandra, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer at RWE, links the recyclable blades back to a smarter way of working: “Sustainability in infrastructure and products starts with being smart right at the design phase and this is exactly what we have done with our partner Siemens Energy by installing recyclable blades in our Sofia Windfarm.

“Treating sustainability as an aftermath is already half the battle lost. Designing and Building smartly keeping all future implications in mind is the hallmark of an excellent company and excellent products. At RWE we design for Sustainability!”