The wind blade recycling plant ‘Waste2Fiber^®’, spearheaded by ACCIONA, has been declared “a project of regional interest” by the Government of Navarra today, which will accelerate its permitting process and development.

Construction of the recycling facility will begin in the first half of this year in Lumbier (Navarra) and will employ over 100 people. Once in operation, the plant will have a processing capacity of 6,000 tons of material per year, covering all stages of the production process, from the dismantling and breaking down of the blades to the output and quality control of the final products.

The ‘Waste2Fiber^®’ plant will use a proprietary thermal treatment technology for the recycling of composite materials present in wind turbine blades. The process, which avoids combustion, will make it possible to preserve the properties of the reinforcing fibers, reuse the organic components and transform the composite materials into secondary raw materials with high added value. These raw materials can be used in new production processes with a quality comparable to that of virgin raw materials, representing a considerable environmental improvement. It will not only avoid the environmental impact from obtaining raw materials but will also avoid the impact from disposing of the spent turbine material, contributing to a more sustainable and efficient industrial production.

With more than 4,000 wind turbines currently in operation in Spain, blade recycling is a critical topic for the wind industry. The Waste2Fiber plant is a step in the right direction to achieving long term, sustainable recycling solutions.