- The new recycling plant, to be located in Cubillos del Sil (León province), is part of Endesa's Futur-e Plan for the Compostilla industrial complex, recently approved by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Regional Government of Castile and Leon
- This project responds to the challenge of recycling more than 6,000 tons per year of fibreglass and carbon from wind turbines, applying circular economy criteria to give a second life to blade materials.
- The project undertaken by Endesa and PreZero Spain will have the participation of GE Renewable Energy and its subsidiary LM Wind Power, as suppliers of blades and fibreglass.
Endesa and PreZero Spain reach an agreement to start up the first wind turbine blade recycling plant in the Iberian Peninsula, with the support of GE Renewable Energy and its subsidiary LM Wind Power, representing an important step towards a circular economy model in the wind energy sector.
This project, to be located in Cubillos del Sil (León province), is part of Endesa's Futur-e Plan for the Compostilla industrial complex, for which the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Regional Government of Castile and Leon recently approved 7 projects to create value in the communities where the decarbonisation process is under way.
The new infrastructure, in which the consortium created will invest 8.5 million euros and which will begin to be built next year, responds to the challenge of recycling more than 6,000 tons per year of fibreglass and carbon from wind turbines, applying circular economy criteria to give a second life to blade materials. The project also involves reusing and reincorporating recycled fibreglass, carbon fibre and other by-products of the process back into the wind energy sector and other sectors that may require such composites. The new plant, due to be operational by the beginning of 2024, will create about 30 direct jobs, plus indirect jobs associated with logistics tasks.
The agreement also provides for GE Renewable Energy to offer its customers based in Spain the option to recycle blades no longer in use at the new plant. LM Wind Power will supply around 50% of the surplus fibreglass generated during the manufacture of blades at its plants in Ponferrada (León) and Castellón. This fibreglass will be recycled for use in, among others, the construction and ceramic sectors, thus creating a circular economy around Spain's wind energy sector.
Endesa also plans to provide blades no longer in use at its renewable facilities for subsequent recycling. The company believes that "this agreement not only reinforces our commitment to the sustainable development of the wind energy sector, but is also another step towards the circularity of the sector", said Rafael Gonzalez, general manager of Generation at Endesa.
For Gonzalo Cañete, Chief Executive Officer of PreZero in Spain and Portugal, "this plant will promote the renewal of wind farms, thus generating, in a more sustainable way, a greater volume of green energy. It also means that we are moving towards circularity for the blades by facilitating their recycling and preventing them from being sent to landfill".
We are delighted to be working with Endesa on the implementation of this promising recycling solution. It confirms our commitment to sustainable development of the sector in Spain", explains Blanca Monteagudo, GE Renewable Energy's Marketing and Sales manager for onshore wind in southern Europe.
Increasing the economic viability of blade recycling
The new facility will recycle blades and composite industrial waste from other production processes.
Despite the existence of numerous solutions for the efficient recycling of around 95% of wind turbine components, recycling the composite materials found in blades was a challenge for the industry.
By supplying the excess fibreglass from the blade manufacturing process in the two Spanish plants, in addition to blades at the end of their useful life, GE Renewable Energy and LM Wind Power contribute to the viability of the plant and, in general, to the development of a blade recycling industry.
This project, together with the remaining 6 within the Futur-e Plan approved for El Bierzo, have been selected to revitalise this region through a programme that envisages the occupation of the site of the old thermal power plant, as well as the use of equipment that was used in this installation. These initiatives will create about 160 new jobs and involve an investment exceeding 260 million euros.
Business projects were selected by international tender with the aim of mitigating the end of thermal generation activities, in accordance with the goals established in Brussels. The projects contributed by Endesa to this process include the development of 625 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy in the area, the organisation of professional training courses and the prioritisation of local labour to dismantle the old thermal power plant.
About Endesa
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end business from generation to marketing and through Endesa X also offers value-added services aimed at the decarbonisation of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and public administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and therefore strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the electrification of the economy and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Endesa Foundation is also active in this last area. Our team totals about 9,600 people. Endesa is a division of Enel, Europe’s largest electricity group.
About PreZero in Spain and Portugal
With more than 17,000 employees and its presence in more than 600 municipalities, PreZero provides environmental services to more than 15 million people in Spain and Portugal and manages more than 140 treatment facilities: Eco parks, composting plants, industrial plants, circular economy plants, transfer centres and controlled deposits. It provides urban services (waste collection, street cleaning and green area management) and the treatment and recycling of waste aimed at closing the circle, reducing the consumption of raw materials and extending their life cycle.
The company is part of PreZero International, belonging to the Schwarz Group, which includes two of Europe's leading food distribution companies, Lidl and Kaufland.
About GE
GE has more than 4,200 employees in Spain, half of them working in its renewable energies division. The company has an R&D centre in Barcelona, which is the location for much of the engineering team that developed the most powerful offshore wind turbine in the world, the Haliade-X, and the Cypress onshore wind turbine, the most powerful installed in Spain. GE Renewable Energy also has repair centres in Noblejas (Toledo), Madrid and Zaragoza.
Its subsidiary, LM Wind Power, with another 1,400 employees in Spain, is one of the main industrial employers in the wind energy sector. LM Wind Power has two blade factories in Ponferrada and Castellón, producing 2,000 MW per year for the Spanish market and for export.
GE Renewable Energy is committed to the energy transition and works with its customers to make it possible. As part of this commitment, the company focuses on supplying and maintaining a global fleet of renewable energy assets, reducing the cost of renewable energy, ensuring the resilience, efficiency and reliability of the grid, and facilitating the integration of renewables into the grid. GE Renewable Energy also contributes to the energy transition through a strategy that aims to show its commitment to sustainable and circular design.
About GE Renewable Energy
GE Renewable Energy is a 16 billion dollar business with one of the renewable energy industry's broadest portfolios, providing comprehensive solutions to our customers, who demand reliable and affordable green energy. Combining onshore and offshore wind energy, blades, hydropower, storage, large-scale solar and grid solutions, as well as hybrid renewables and digital services, GE Renewable Energy has installed more than 400 gigawatts of clean renewable energies and equipped more than 90 per cent of utility companies worldwide with their grid solutions. With nearly 40,000 employees in more than 80 countries, GE Renewable Energy creates value for customers seeking to power the world with affordable, reliable and sustainable green electrons.