Offshore wind is central to Europe’s energy transition, with rapid expansion needed to meet European Union renewable energy targets for 2030 and beyond. At the same time, the first generation of offshore wind farms is approaching the end of its life. Between 2025 and 2050, thousands of turbines will need to be dismantled, upgraded or repurposed.
The degraded state of Europe’s marine ecosystem, already under pressure from numerous human activities, and the delay in achieving biodiversity targets highlight the urgent need to address the end-of-life stage of offshore wind farms.
Our new report, ‘Offshore wind farms end-of-life strategies: Impacts and best approaches’, presents recommendations for managing the end-of-life of offshore wind farms and explores policy pathways to align end-of-life management with biodiversity protection, decarbonisation and resource efficiency.
Posted on: 8 December 2025
