Aging US wind turbines are becoming a source of rare-earth metals

what happened

Wall Street Journal reporter Ed Ballard describes how Paladin EnviroTech is taking apart retired turbines at the Highland wind farm in Iowa, owned by MidAmerican Energy. Its chief executive, Brian Diesselhorst, sees the generators inside the nacelles as a rich prize: newer models hold close to a tonne of these metals, which the company values at roughly $100,000.

Dismantling is demanding work. Cranes lift off blades and nacelles, heavy sections weighing up to 120,000 pounds are cut with hydraulic shears and hauled away on flatbeds, and unstable ground can topple equipment. Separating rare earths cheaply is the other hurdle, since they are usually lost in slag when turbines are melted down for steel. Paladin works with Critical Materials Recycling, which is commercializing a leaching method developed at Ames National Laboratory.

MidAmerican says its replacement turbines have blades 20% longer and deliver about 15% more power each, and it has already swapped nearly 1,500 of its 3,700 machines. Paladin expects wind-turbine magnets to make up roughly 40% of its tonnage next year and has lined up about 500 turbines across the country.

why it matters

For markets, the story points to a small but strategic new supply channel, backed by government funding for mineral projects that will take years to pay off. Copper from turbine wiring is currently the main revenue driver for recyclers, at roughly $14,500 a ton at today's prices.

market impact

Rare earths: recycled supply could ease reliance on China; copper: extra material from turbine dismantling

tags

instruments