EoLIS 2026: A Dutch Approach to the Joint Decommissioning of Offshore Wind Farms

The first offshore wind farms are nearing the end of their useful life. When they are dismantled, critical materials such as steel, copper, and composites are recovered, as well as neodymium permanent magnets. Europe is heavily dependent on China for these magnets. How effectively Europe recovers these materials therefore plays a role in the competitive position of its own wind industry.

Pieter van Os will speak on behalf of Circonnect about this topic on November 24 during EoLIS, WindEurope’s annual seminar on wind turbines at the end of their service life. In the session “Planning for the Next Wave of Offshore Decommissioning,” he will present how the Netherlands is working toward a single, unified, and sustainable decommissioning system. The foundation was laid in a CIRCO Supply Chain Track focused on offshore wind. This led to the creation of Bridge of Europe, which has been incorporated as a project in the Offshore Wind Roadmap and is now being further developed in the North Sea Canal area.

From Supply Chain Design to the Region

Currently, each park owner plans its own dismantling process. As a result, recyclers capable of reusing materials in high-quality applications often don’t find out until the last minute what’s coming their way. To scale up, they need a predictable supply.

In a CIRCO Supply Chain Track, developers, operators, contractors, and processors designed the initial framework for a joint take-back system and a circular hub, with a strong focus on permanent magnets. This collaboration gave rise to Bridge of Europe. The Offshore Wind Roadmap incorporated this initiative as a project. With funding from the North Sea Canal region, work is now underway on a gap analysis and a blueprint for the hub.

What does decommissioning cost, and what are the benefits? That question will also be addressed in Bilbao, as will the role of a well-organized supply chain in ensuring Europe’s strategic autonomy.

Roadmap by Product Group

A roadmap has been developed for offshore wind, as well as for solar PV, batteries, and electrolysers. In it, companies, the government, and research institutions jointly established a consensus-based project portfolio for the next five to ten years.

Circonnect provided the facilitation, design expertise, and tools for this initiative. As a result, product groups, supply chains, and individual companies are strengthening their profitability and strategic autonomy, and using materials and energy more efficiently.

About EoLIS

EoLIS stands for End-of-Life Issues & Strategies. WindEurope is organizing this year’s seminar in collaboration with the Spanish wind energy association AEE on November 24 and 25 at the Bilbao Exhibition Center. Repowering, lifespan extension, decommissioning, and recycling are on the agenda. Gian Marco Gioffrè (WindEurope) will moderate Pieter van Os’s session. Following the presentations, Daan Koetzier (Heerema Engineering Solutions), Rebecca Verhaeghe (POM West Flanders), and Emma Amato (Vattenfall) will join the panel discussion.

Read more about the Offshore Wind Roadmap here