Recyclable Blades Ordered for French Offshore Wind Farm

The development consortium behind the 450 MW Calvados offshore wind farm has ordered several sets of Siemens Gamesa’s new recyclable wind turbine blades.

Ten of the 64 Siemens Gamesa 7 MW wind turbines will feature the new RecyclableBlades which were unveiled by Siemens Gamesa last September.

The blades are made up of a combination of materials embedded in resin to form a strong, stiff structure, according to Siemens Gamesa, which says its RecyclableBlade technology enables full reclaim of the blade’s components at the end of the product’s lifespan.

Separating the resin, fiberglass, and wood, among others, is achieved through using a mild acid solution. The materials can then go into the circular economy, creating new products like suitcases or flat-screen casings without the need to call on more raw resources, according to Siemens Gamesa.

Calvados will be the first French project to deploy these innovative recyclable blades, according to the consortium.

At the beginning of this month, the first Siemens Gamesa wind turbine equipped with the company’s RecyclableBlades generated first power at the Kaskasi offshore wind farm in Germany.

The Calvados offshore wind farm is being developed by Éolien Maritime France (EMF) and wpd. EMF is a joint venture between EDF Renouvelables, Enbridge, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

The developers reached the financial close and started construction on the EUR 2 billion project in February last year.

Located more than ten kilometres from the Bessin coastline, the wind farm covers a total surface area of approximately 45 square kilometres.

Once fully commissioned in 2024, Calvados will generate the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 630,000 people, or over 90 per cent of the Calvados French department’s population.

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