Spanish company will recycle wind farms

Adding circularity to the renewables industry sector

The small Spanish town of Almazán will host the country’s first company whose business will be to recycle wind farm installations. The new venture, called GIRA Wind, a product of a partnership between energy company Naturgy and the regional bank Caja Rural de Soria, will bring jobs and an innovative economy focused on the recovery of materials to the countryside.

Almazán is a sleepy town of about 5,500 residents, located in the autonomous region of Castilla y Leon, to the northeast of Madrid. It is now poised to gain more prominence with the introduction of the new industry there.

The green transition opens up the market to new business opportunities

With the wear and tear of wind turbines, owners of these facilities are faced with the need to cover their own costs for their dismantling and disposal. In essence, the growth of the renewable energy production sector has brought up the question of the industrial waste management of these materials. And if that process is not sustainable the whole benefit of the industry might be severely diminished.

The removal needs of these renewable projects in Spain currently reach a market value of more than 250 million euros in dismantling work alone. That would mean the recovery of all the elements that make up wind turbines.

According to EnergyNews.es, The General Director of Renewables, New Businesses and Innovation at Naturgy, Jorge Barredo, has assured that "GIRA Wind was born with the aim of promoting the energy transition through the circular economy, and unlike other initiatives, it will provide a comprehensive solution to recycling and will allow the integration of other companies and agents of the ecosystem in our value chain”.

The Almazán pilot plant will offer a circular economy project, with a complete material dismantling and recycling service. This includes both turbines and blades, as well as the recovery of components (such as fibreglass) and equipment for their partial or complete reuse.

As part of the initiative, alliances with other projects are also being analyzed and this business model will be replicated in other geographies, with the collaboration of local and national companies, as well as the different Administrations.