Presentations

Abstract

Nearly half of Europe’s existing wind farms will reach the end of their operational life by 2030[1]. While building new wind farms is pivotal to achieving the EU’s wind energy target of 425 GW by 2030, repowering existing assets is also critical. It plays a key role in the EU’s five-year strategy and beyond, ensuring that existing wind farms continue to operate and contribute efficiently towards the energy transition. Repowering presents a significant opportunity for the industry: on average, it more than doubles a wind farm’s generation capacity and triples its electricity output[2]. However, the success of repowering depends on social acceptance, influenced by the trust that companies foster with local communities throughout the lifecycle of wind farms. This reinforces the strategic importance of long-term, meaningful engagement with local communities, not just for securing their buy-in during planning, but throughout construction, operations and decommissioning. Nadara is at the forefront of repowering in Europe, with an ageing fleet that positions us to lead by example. Through our community engagement strategy, we aim to be recognised as a trusted partner that builds long-lasting relationships and meaningfully contributes to local development, by sharing value with the communities that host our plants. Today, as we enter the repowering phase of several plants, we are reaping the benefits of this full lifecycle approach to community engagement. We will share practical examples with the industry, demonstrating what’s working well and what we’ve learned so far. Ultimately, we will demonstrate how a whole lifecycle approach to community engagement can help unlock long-term sustainable value through repowering. [1] WindEurope, 2025: https://windeurope.org/about-wind/wind-energy-today/#:~:text=The%20further%20expansion%20of%20wind,their%20normal%20life%20by%202030  [2] WindEurope, 2024: https://windeurope.org/news/europe-not-yet-reaping-the-benefits-of-repowering-old-wind-farms/