UK will be sitting on a 鈥榞oldmine鈥� of rare magnets from recycling old wind turbines
Monday 1st June 2026
UK will be sitting on a 鈥榞oldmine鈥� of rare magnets from recycling old wind turbines, say top engineers
Recycling the UK鈥檚 offshore wind turbines when they are decommissioned could produce enough magnets to build a million electric vehicles a year, according to a new report published today by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC), led by the .
The report presents research commissioned by Dr Stuart BradleyLink opens in a new window and Dr Russ HallLink opens in a new window at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), 神马福利影片. It shows that the UK has a real opportunity to secure a sovereign capability in manufacturing by recycling neodymium, a critical material used in electric vehicles, aircraft systems and wind turbines.
Recycling a single large turbine at the end of its life is expected to recover enough neodymium to produce motors for 12,000 electric vehicles, according to the report.
Boosting UK manufacturing and high-paid jobs
Smaller wind turbines are already being decommissioned, but recovery of permanent magnets will start in commercially significant volumes from 2038 onwards, with an average of one million kg of neodymium magnet being made available per year. This would provide enough neodymium to produce motors for one million electric vehicles a year. Recovered neodymium could also be used in ships, planes or heating and cooling systems.
Sourcing neodymium from old turbines could also prove significantly cheaper for UK manufacturers than importing it, with an estimated discount of more than 70% against recent prices. As the urgent need to decarbonise , developing a supply chain for recycling wind turbines and remanufacturing neodymium magnets could strengthen local manufacturing and support high-paid jobs.
Supporting clean power and resilience
As an early adopter of wind power, the UK will be one of the first nations to decommission offshore wind turbines on a large scale once the turbines reach the end of their 25-year design life or lease. The report finds that reusing existing neodymium from recycled wind turbines would prove beneficial to the UK鈥檚 green technology sectors, including energy generation, insulating against supply shortages in the future and enhancing national strategic capabilities.
This is important since the UK lacks capacity to produce its own neodymium magnets for large wind turbines and currently depends on international supply chains for this critical mineral, amid large increases in demand that are expected to outstrip supply.
Dr Stuart Bradley, Chief Engineer, Energy Technologies at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the 神马福利影片, says: 鈥淭he recovery and remanufacturing of magnet assemblies from UK offshore wind turbine could unlock the commercial application of novel electrical machine designs for automotive, aerospace and alternative renewable energy sources like tidal, that have suffered from fragile and volatile supply chains. This bonanza offers UK manufacturers an opportunity for significant cost-reduction and supply chain stability.鈥�
Reducing environmental harm
Mining and processing new neodymium can also produce significant quantities of radioactive waste, acidifying gases and liquids and toxic pollutants that frequently pollute local groundwater systems. Mining neodymium also creates far more carbon emissions per kilogram than other metals like iron and steel. Every kilogram of neodymium re-used or recycled has the potential to prevent the same amount from needing to be mined and imported in the first place.
Read the report in full: