Comment
Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy: Pioneering a recycling and circular economy
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recently published the Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy[1], which includes 42 actions to resolve the key blockers to onshore wind. Action 40 focuses on supporting the development of the onshore wind recycling and circular economy sector. Director, Climate, Sustainability & ESG, James Blake, explains Action 40 in more detail and explores why it’s a win-win for sustainability and the economy.
The Strategy includes six ‘Policy Themes’ which aim to boost deployment of onshore wind. Theme 6 covers ‘Supply Chain, Skills and Workforce’, reflecting on the anticipated increase in economic opportunities generated by boosting the deployment of onshore wind, providing new skills and employment prospects, as well as strengthening UK supply chains. Action 40, focused on supporting the development of the recycling and circular economy sector, sits within theme 6.
What does Action 40 cover?
The relatively early deployment of onshore wind in the UK means that a growing number of wind farms are expected to come offline in the next decade, with decommissioning rates forecast to peak at around 0.5 to 1.0GW per year through the late 2020s and 2030s as a growing number of early projects reach their end of life, particularly in Scotland.
The steel tower, comprising around 70% of a wind turbine’s weight, is composed of easily recyclable materials, as is the concrete used in turbine foundations. However, turbine blades are made from composite materials such as fibreglass, polyester, glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP), wood and carbon fibre, and as a result are currently far more challenging to recycle.
Action 40 of the Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy relates to the Government supporting the development of the recycling and circular economy sector for onshore wind to promote sustainability and resource efficiency across the full project lifecycle, whilst at the same time supporting innovation, job creation and local supply chains.
The Government recognises the opportunity for the UK to be a world leader in recycling and circular economy for wind farm components, and recognises the pioneering work underway in the sector through facilities such as ReBlade, the UK’s first specialist wind energy decommissioning service provider.
Our specialist Sustainability & ESG team has detailed experience of assessing these issues as part of their work on recent onshore wind farm planning applications.
A win-win for sustainability and the economy
We strongly support Action 40 of the Strategy as a means to reduce the environmental impact of end-of-life turbine components. Many will have seen the remarkable images in the press of wind turbine ‘graveyards’ extending as far as the eye can see in Wyoming, Texas and other parts of the USA, where huge numbers of decommissioned turbine blades have simply been landfilled without any effort to recover or recycle their materials. Such images are widely cited by opponents to wind farm proposals as evidence of ‘hidden’ environmental impacts which, if properly accounted for, would in their view significantly reduce or even remove the claimed environmental advantages of wind energy.
In reality, end-of-life decommissioning is already accounted for in leading methodologies for assessing the environmental performance of onshore wind energy in the UK. For example, the Scottish Government’s Carbon Calculator for Wind Farms on Scottish Peatland[2] and software tools such as DNV’s ReWind[3] are now available to increase wind energy circularity by evaluating a range of decommissioning scenarios, forecasting material types, quantities and recyclability, and identifying waste recycling and recovery service providers close to the project in question.
However, the formal recognition by the Government of this issue to ensure a co-ordinated approach across the sector is very much welcomed. The Action will help address valid concerns of wind energy opponents and proponents alike regarding end-of-life impacts, whilst also supporting innovation and resource efficiency and stimulating local supply chains and employment opportunities – truly a win-win for sustainability and the economy.
To further explore how Action 40 supports sustainability and circular economy goals, please reach out to James Blake or Barny Evans. Stay tuned for insights from our wider service teams on some of the other Actions within the Strategy.
18 July 2025
[1] DESNZ Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy - July 2025
[2] https://www.gov.scot/publications/carbon-calculator-for-wind-farms-on-scottish-peatlands-factsheet/
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| Client | Cubico Sustainable Investments |
|---|---|
| Turley office | Manchester |
| Status | Planning application submitted |