Recycling the UK’s offshore wind turbines when they are decommissioned could produce enough magnets to build a million electric vehicles (EVs) a year, according to a report.

The magnets within wind turbines contain a large amount of neodymium, a critical material used in EVs, aircraft systems and wind turbines. Current neodymium supplies are geographically limited, meaning sourcing is expensive and vulnerable to supply shocks.

A new report – Windfall: the recovery and remanufacturing of neodymium magnets from UK wind turbines – published by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) and led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, finds that the UK has a real opportunity to secure a sovereign capability in manufacturing by recycling neodymium. 

The report features analysis commissioned by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, which finds that recycling a single large turbine at the end of its life could recover enough neodymium to produce motors for 12,000 EVs.

The UK is at an advantage because being an early adopter of wind power means it is one of the first nations to decommission offshore wind turbines on a large scale once the turbines reach the end of their 25-year design life or lease.

While smaller wind turbines are already being decommissioned, the recovery of permanent magnets will start in commercially significant volumes from 2038 onwards, with an average of one million kg of neodymium magnet being made available per year. According to the report, this would provide enough neodymium to produce motors for one million EVs a year. Recovered neodymium could also be used in ships, planes or heating and cooling systems.

Dr Stuart Bradley, chief engineer, energy technologies at WMG, said: “The recovery and remanufacturing of magnet assemblies from UK offshore wind turbines could unlock the commercial application of novel electrical machine designs for automotive, aerospace and alternative renewable energy sources [such as] 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.”

As the UK lacks capacity to produce its own neodymium magnets for large wind turbines, the report finds that sourcing neodymium from old turbines will be significantly cheaper for UK manufacturers than importing it, with an estimated discount of more than 70% against recent prices.

Setting up a supply chain for recycling wind turbines and remanufacturing neodymium magnets would also not only strengthen local manufacturing but support high-paid jobs.

The report is calling on government and policymakers to take action in developing a UK supply chain in neodymium magnet remanufacturing. This will require new infrastructure for decommissioning wind turbines and a trade policy that keeps neodymium magnets within the UK with clear standards and regulation.

Professor Joan Cordiner, chair of the NEPC materials and net zero working group, said: “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.”

A European report published last week also found that more than half of Europe’s demand for critical minerals could be met within the continent itself if robust recycling systems are implemented.