Meet Leticia, Data Scientist at Ørsted

[@adinaralea2740]

Congratulations, Leticia! I am very proud of you!

[@robertlee8805]

What does Orsted do with decommissioned turbines and how long do they last? What parts are reusable or recyclable? Will the platforms be broken down, left in place, does workers dump their trash on the platforms, oceans, and staging areas? Who makes sure all work and workers leave a clean ocean and ports?

[@Orsted]

Dear Robert, We currently have only decommissioned Vindeby, and it will be years before our next wind farm will be decommissioned. The wind turbines from Vindeby were partially recycled as scrap metal, with some components repurposed or used for materials studies. The gravity based concrete foundations were also decommissioned and removed from the ocean. Vindeby was decommissioned after 25 years while modern offshore wind farms are designed to last longer, sometimes up to 30 years. Generally, 85-90% of the turbines by weight are recycled, mostly as scrap metal. Blade recycling is a top priority for the wind industry: windeurope.org/newsroom/news/blade-recycling-a-top-priority-for-the-wind-industry/. As Wind Europe explains in the link, wind turbines have a recyclability rate of 85% to 90%, and making wind turbines 100% recyclable is an important task which the wind industry is working on alongside other industries using composite materials. For offshore wind farms that have been decommissioned until now, the foundations have been broken down and removed. For future decommissioning, we are still considering various options for lifetime extensions or how best to go about decommissioning, in order to minimise environmental impact. Best regards, Alexander.