RWE, in partnership with turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa, are marking a UK first by installing recyclable wind turbine blades on a large scale at the Sofia Offshore Wind Farm, currently under construction on Dogger Bank in the central North Sea.
The recyclable rotor blades, manufactured with a specially developed resin, can be more easily dismantled at the end of their service life. This allows materials such as glass fibres, polymers and resins to be recovered and repurposed into products ranging from car components to consumer goods such as helmets and suitcases, reducing waste and boosting the circular economy in renewable energy manufacturing.
Under an agreement signed in 2023, RWE will install a total of 150 recyclable blades across 50 of Sofia’s 100 planned turbines. More than half of the blades have already been fitted, with work continuing throughout 2025 using the specialist offshore installation vessel Wind Peak, operated from the Port of Hull by Cadeler.
This large-scale deployment follows successful installation of recyclable blades at RWE’s Kaskasi wind farm off the German coast, where Siemens Gamesa’s recyclable blades were first trialled. By taking the concept further at Sofia, both companies are reinforcing their commitment to making offshore wind not only a source of clean electricity but also a model for sustainable industrial practices.
Once complete, Sofia will feature 100 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 turbines, each featuring 108-metre blades and a rotor diameter of 222 metres. With a generating capacity of 1.4 gigawatts, the wind farm is expected to be fully operational in 2026.
