Starting in 2030, decommissioned materials from the energy company’s wind farms are to be fully reintegrated into the circular economy.
Swedish energy company Vattenfall plans to recycle 100 percent of rare earth permanent magnets from its wind farms in the future. The initiative is set to take effect in 2030 for decommissioned wind turbines, according to a press statement. Vattenfall aims to limit waste, improve the supply of rare earths, and reduce dependence on imports, which aligns with the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act. This act aims to cover 25 percent of Europe’s strategic raw material needs through recycling by 2030.
While most recyclable material is not expected to become available until the mid-2030s, Vattenfall emphasizes the need to develop efficient circular economy processes. The energy provider has established two partnerships: with Caremag, which is building a rare earth-focused permanent magnet recycling facility in France, and with Canadian recycler Cyclic Materials, which already collaborates with various European companies.
This is not Vattenfall’s first project of this kind. The company also works with Swedish automaker Volvo and mining company LKAB to create more sustainable supply chains. However, a recent study by the German Raw Materials Agency (DERA) highlighted the challenges still facing large-scale recycling of rare earth magnets (we reported).
Photo: iStock/BrianAJackson
