Wind Turbine Foundations: Reviewing the Basics

This is one of the favorite arguments of those opposed to wind power projects: the irreversible impact of "concreting" the ground. No luck, there are answers... "concrete"!

Since 2011, Decree No. 0198 of the Ministry of Ecology has strictly regulated the restoration of wind farm sites at the end of their life. Everything must be dismantled. The ground, housing the foundations, must be excavated to a depth of between 30 cm and 2 meters depending on their final use. In all cases, the original land must be replaced with "land of comparable characteristics," which also applies to access roads to the wind turbines.

Furthermore, the financing of these operations must be provided by the owner of the farm to the tune of 50,000 euros per wind turbine.

Circular Economy

But that's not all! The concrete and steel of the foundations are completely removed, disposed of, or recycled. These operations are detailed in a recent article in the Journal de l'Environnement. Samuel Neuvy, development manager of the Quadran group (a renewable subsidiary of Direct Energie), explains the virtuous practices applied at the Goulien wind farm in Finistère, which are set to become more widespread. The entirely crushed concrete is recycled into aggregates, while the metals are recovered by a scrap metal dealer. Wind power projects haven't waited for the government's roadmap to become part of the circular economy.

Cyrille Arnoux, web editorial manager