Abstract
Offshore wind energy is developing rapidly and is becoming one of the main focal points for the generation of renewable electricity in Europe. The installation of offshore wind turbines in the EU is growing exponentially, with a European ambition of 111 GW in 2030 and 300 GW in 2050 for the North Sea alone. Consequently, offshore wind energy plays a crucial role in phasing out fossil fuels (Appendix 5.1).
To achieve significant progress in upscaling offshore wind energy and reducing the costs for offshore wind turbines, the spotlight has been primarily on new windfarm deployments. The critical issue of decommissioning offshore windfarms (OWFs) and related infrastructures such as cables at the end of their lifecycle has been relatively overlooked.
Given the knowledge that all the thousands of wind turbines, including cables, which are being built should also be decommissioned, it is important to investigate how this can be done without compromising on other targets such as those set for nature restoration and circularity. It is crucial to take a comprehensive approach to the decommissioning issue and retain a long-term perspective. In doing so, environmentally friendly and circular dismantling go hand in hand, but this is not adequately encouraged holistically by the business case and the pressure for the rapid implementation of offshore wind.
The main challenge this paper is addressing is the need to strike a balance between decommissioning and meeting nature conservation, restoration and circularity targets. In order to do so, sustainable decommissioning should be the norm. In this paper, we define sustainable decommissioning as a decommissioning process that integrates principles of nature conservation, restoration and circularity.
Aim of this paper
This paper highlights the dilemmas surrounding current decommissioning practices and the legislation and steps necessary to achieve sustainable decommissioning. We describe challenges with respect to nature inclusivity and circularity that arise when decommissioning offshore wind farms. We consequently define a set of policy recommendations for the EU and Member States to improve the conditions for enhancing the sustainable decommissioning of OWFs. We translate this into a first draft of decision-making principles that need to be considered during the design phase of an OWF in order to include the aspects of nature inclusiveness, the life span and the circularity.
Through all this, we aim to start a discussion that will lead to a decision-making framework on decommissioning offshore wind farm infrastructure with respect to nature and circularity. We believe that this framework must be developed in collaboration with relevant stakeholders such as offshore wind farm developers, manufacturers, marine ecologists, NGOs and scientists.
Ultimately, our goal is to make sure that industry is motivated to develop comprehensive plans for sustainable and nature-inclusive design which includes a sustainable decommissioning plan ensuring minimal impacts on marine ecosystems and maximum circularity when decommissioning offshore windfarms.