- Grineo will be responsible for managing wind blades at the end of their useful life that will be processed at a plant to be located in Cubillos del Sil (León), and which is part of Endesa's Futur-e Plan for the Compostilla thermal power plant currently being dismantled.
PreZero Spain and Endesa announced a year ago the construction of the first wind blade recycling plant in the Iberian Peninsula, and since then they have been working to make this a reality. This unique project has taken a further step forward with the founding of Grineo, a company created to manage the blades that will be recycled at the installation designed by PreZero Spain and Endesa.
The objective of this first plant in mainland Spain is to recycle disused wind blades and turn them into raw material for new products, giving new useful life to these components.
The installation where the blades managed by Grineo will be processed has been acknowledged by the European Union HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme which is the main EU funding programme in the field of research and innovation. This acknowledgment of such an innovative project will enable the concept of circular economy to be truly applied, recycling components to give them a second useful life. This is part of the BLADES2BUILD project in which 14 leading companies and research centres from all over Europe are participating.
The new wind blade recycling plant is being processed and construction is expected to begin in 2024. The plant will be located in Cubillos del Sil (León), and is part of Endesa's Futur-e Plan for the Compostilla thermal power plant that currently being dismantled. In this regard, Endesa's objective is to develop long-lasting projects in fair transition zones. As was the case in their day with thermal generation installations, the aim now is to remain linked to the territory with unique projects like this.
The new plant, which will employ about 30 people on a permanent basis, responds to the challenge of recycling more than 2,000 units of wind blades per year, that is, about 6,000 tons year of fibreglass composite per from wind turbines, with a firm commitment to circularity with regard to the materials from the blades. The secondary raw materials recovered can be used for applications in sectors such as automotive, construction and ceramics which will enable the creation of a circular economy in the Spanish wind energy business.
This solution will enable a more sustainable approach to the repowering of existing wind turbines to be taken. 27,446 MW (megawatts) of wind power have currently been installed in Spain, of which 22,959 will be more than 25 years old by the end of this decade.
(1) The project has been funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the authority that offers the subsidy may be held responsible for them.
About PreZero Spain and Portugal
With more than 16,000 employees, the company provides urban services (waste collection, street cleaning and green area management) for more than 12 million people in more than 900 municipalities, and develops circular economy solutions for waste treatment and recycling in the more than 130 installations where it operates. The company is part of PreZero International which has more than 30,000 employees in 11 countries and belongs to the Schwarz Group which owns Lidl and Kaufland, as well as other leading food distribution companies in Europe.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading 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 electricity generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X, it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. It is also the leading operator of charging stations in Spain through Endesa X Way, a business line dedicated entirely to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.