· New analysis of UK’s potential supply of neodymium in offshore wind turbines published by National Engineering Policy Centre
· Recycling wind turbines could cut costs for future manufacturing and reduce environmental damage from mining
Recycling the UK’s offshore wind turbines when they are decommissioned could produce enough magnets to build a million electric vehicles a year, according to a new report published today by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC), led by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Analysis commissioned from Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), at the University of Warwick, shows that the UK has a real opportunity to secure a sovereign capability in manufacturing by recycling neodymium, a critical mineral used in electric vehicles, aircraft systems and wind turbines.
Recycling a single large turbine at the end of its life is expected to recover enough neodymium to produce motors for 12,000 electric vehicles, according to the report.
Boosting UK manufacturing and high-paid jobs
Smaller wind turbines are already being decommissioned, but recovery of permanent magnets will start in commercially significant volumes from 2038 onwards, with an average of 1 million kg of neodymium magnet being made available per year. This would provide enough neodymium to produce motors for 1 million electric vehicles a year, such as the third generation Nissan Leaf vehicle, currently manufactured in Sunderland. Recovered neodymium could also be used in ships, planes or heating and cooling systems.
Sourcing neodymium from old turbines could also prove significantly cheaper for UK manufacturers than importing it from China or elsewhere overseas, with an estimated discount of more than 70% against recent prices. As the urgent need to decarbonise increases global demand for electric vehicles, developing a supply chain for recycling wind turbines and remanufacturing neodymium magnets could strengthen local manufacturing and support high-paid jobs.
Supporting clean power and resilience
As an early adopter of wind power, the UK will be one of the first nations to decommission offshore wind turbines on a large scale once the turbines reach the end of their 15 to 25-year design life. The report finds that reusing existing neodymium from recycled wind turbines would prove beneficial to the UK’s green technology sectors, including energy generation, insulating against supply shortages in the future and enhancing our national strategic capabilities. This is important since the UK lacks capacity to produce its own neodymium magnets for large wind turbines and currently depends on international supply chains for this critical mineral, amid large increases in demand that are expected to outstrip supply.
However, the NEPC warns that early action is needed to secure this strategic and economic advantage. Developing the UK’s supply chain in neodymium magnet remanufacturing would require:
· New wind turbines to be designed so the magnets inside can be recovered and recycled safely and easily;
· Infrastructure for decommissioning wind turbines to be ready, such as access to port space;
· A trade policy that keeps neodymium magnets within the UK and clear standards and regulation to ensure that neodymium is used for manufacturing and clean energy industries.
Professor Joan Cordiner FREng FRSE FIChemE, Chair of the NEPC Materials and Net Zero Working Group, says:
“Future supply of neodymium magnets is not guaranteed, but the fact that the UK will have around 1,800 wind turbines installed by 2030 provides a huge opportunity to use the critical minerals within them more sustainably. However, we risk future bottlenecks in domestic manufacturing of clean tech if we don’t act now to capitalise on this strategic resource. The UK has a chance to lay the groundwork for recycling its future wind turbines with infrastructure, design standards and regulation. If we fail to do this, we will leave our manufacturing industry more exposed to shifting geopolitical winds.”
Dr Stuart Bradley, Chief Engineer, Energy Technologies at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick, says:
“The recovery and remanufacturing of magnet assemblies from UK offshore wind turbine could unlock the commercial application of novel electrical machine designs for automotive, aerospace and alternative renewable energy sources like tidal, that have suffered from fragile and volatile supply chains. This bonanza offers UK manufacturers an opportunity for significant cost-reduction and supply chain stability.”
Reducing environmental harm
Mining and processing new neodymium can also produce significant quantities of radioactive waste, acidifying gases and liquids and toxic pollutants that frequently pollute local groundwater systems. Mining neodymium also creates far more carbon emissions per kilogram than other metals like iron and steel. Every kilogram of neodymium re-used or recycled has the potential to prevent the same amount from needing to be mined and imported in the first place.
Professor Rebecca Lunn MBE FREng FRSE FICE, Member of the NEPC Materials and Net Zero Working Group and Green Future Fellow, says:
“Remanufacturing neodymium prevents the environmental damage that can be caused by extracting more material and can also provide an economic benefit for the UK. Reusing our existing resources means we can reduce carbon emissions and highly polluting waste and unlock our electric vehicle manufacturing sector, which in turn can improve local air quality and create high-paid local jobs. Developing this supply chain would be a significant boost to the UK’s green transition.”
Notes for editors
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Windfall – the recovery and remanufacturing of neodymium magnets from UK wind turbines was commissioned by the National Engineering Policy Centre’s Materials and Net Zero Working Group and produced by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), at the University of Warwick, in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Authors:
· Dr Stuart Bradley, WMG, University of Warwick
· Dr Russ Hall, WMG, University of Warwick
NEPC Materials and Net Zero Working Group:
· Dr Colin Church FIMMM
· Dr Mike Cook FREng
· Professor Joan Cordiner FREng FRSE FIChemE (Chair)
· Mark Enzer OBE FREng
· Professor Mark Jolly FIMMM
· Professor Rebecca Lunn MBE FREng FRSE FICE
· Dr Charlotte Stamper MCIWM MIMMM
· Rachel Stonehouse
· Melissa Zanocco OBE
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