ENGIE Green dismantles Widehem wind farm

Save to read list Published by Jessica Casey, Deputy Editor Energy Global, Thursday, 01 June 2023 12:00

ENGIE Green has completed the dismantling of the Widehem wind farm. In accordance with its TED1 label, all the components of the six wind turbines in the park have been sorted and sent to specialised recycling and recovery channels. The concrete foundations will be removed in June in parallel with the start of construction of the new park.

The first stages of the dismantling began in October 2022 with the preparation of the accesses followed in the spring of 2023 by the dismantling of the steel masts sent for recycling. After the removal of the rotors, the blades were transported to Bourbourg (near Dunkirk) to be cut. They will then be crushed and transformed into pellets to be used in new industrial processes, for example for the manufacture of street furniture or even vine stakes. The nacelles, generators and cables were sorted by material for recycling and the oils were recovered and treated. The concrete block, which will be removed in June 2023, will be crushed and reused in roads or backfill. To complete the work, the sites will be restored.

Commissioned in 2000, the Widehem wind farm is well integrated locally. In consultation with elected officials and local stakeholders, a new, more efficient park will be commissioned in December 2023 and along a new route. It will also include six wind turbines with a total power of 4.8 MW. The new turbines will be of the same height as the old ones (76 m), in accordance with the request of the inhabitants of the municipality, allowing production to be optimised without modifying the landscape. The positioning of the wind turbines also benefits from feedback from the previous wind farm and the environmental studies carried out for this new project. The park will produce 10 560 MWh/y and will supply 4700 people with green energy each year.

With this new Widehem wind farm, the wind power installed in Hauts-de-France represents the equivalent of the annual domestic consumption of more than 600 000 people.

The Spring 2023 issue of Energy Global hosts an array of technical articles focusing on offshore wind, solar technology, energy storage, green hydrogen, waste-to-energy, and more. This issue also features a regional report on commodity challenges facing Asia's energy transition.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/01062023/engie-green-dismantles-widehem-wind-farm/

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