Wind turbines

Wind turbines are essential for achieving decarbonisation and increasing energy security. The UK plans to reach up to 50GW of offshore wind deployment by 2030.  This target is driving demand for components and materials required to produce wind turbines, and technology metals such as rare earth elements (REE) are playing a major role. REE such as neodymium, prasedymium, dysprosium and terbium are used in the production of neodymium iron boron magnet (NdFeB). They are used to manufacture powerful generators that come in a range of technical configurations. At the same time, several installed wind turbines are expected to reach their decomissioning stage soon, and could therefore provide a source of secondary REE.