Scotland’s first wind farm recycled 99.9% of 26 turbines, blades became polymers

Scotland’s first commercial wind farm has reached a major milestone in dealing with turbine waste after almost three decades of operation. Hagshaw Hill in South Lanarkshire, which began operating in 1995, was decommissioned and repowered with 14 newer turbines after its original 26 turbines were dismantled in 2023. A Mott MacDonald assessment commissioned by ScottishPower Renewables found that 79.5% of materials from the old turbines and associated components were recycled, while another 20.4% were reused, giving a combined recovery rate of 99.9%. The project also found a new use for one of the wind industry's more difficult waste streams, with all the old turbine blades processed by Northern Ireland-based Plaswire into polymer materials for construction and engineering applications.Scotland’s first commercial wind farm gets a new lifeHagshaw Hill began generating electricity in 1995 and became Scotland’s first commercial wind farm. Located in South Lanarkshire, the site operated for almost 30 years before its original turbines were dismantled in 2023 as part of a repowering project. The old installation had 26 turbines, while the replacement project uses 14 much larger and more po...