Full Breakdown
Bellacorrick Wind Farm Decommissioned; NI Firms Lead Sustainable Blade Recycling
7/4/2026, 11:05:45 AM
Decommissioning and Sustainable Disposal Initiative
The Bellacorrick wind farm in County Mayo—Ireland’s first commercial wind project—was decommissioned in early 2024 after exceeding its 25-year design life. Northern-Ireland firms Plaswire Ltd and ubloquity are working together to divert the 21 turbine blades from landfill, converting them into reusable construction and transport materials and adding traceability technology.
Background & Context
Bellacorrick, operating since 1992 with 21 turbines that produced 6.5 MW for about 4,500 homes, will merge with the nearby Oweninny farm (60 turbines, 192 MW serving up to 140,000 households). Eighteen larger turbines will replace the original 21, each out-producing the former farm and raising regional capacity to serve roughly 220,000 homes. The island expects to replace around 400 turbines in the next 15 years, contributing to a global stock of about 125,000 tonnes of decommissioned blades currently sent to landfill or incineration.
Data & Statistics
Official Statements & Responses
Plaswire chief executive Andrew Billingsley said converting blades into a durable timber and precast-concrete substitute supports a circular economy and cuts CO2 emissions from virgin plastic production and incineration. ubloquity founder Kieran Kelly noted rising demand for traceability, with QR-code and RFID tags enabling full-life-cycle tracking of recycled blade products, advancing sustainability goals and creating jobs via Northern Ireland’s market access.
Criticism & Opposition
No explicit criticism appears in the sources; Billingsley notes that confirming the new material’s environmental benefits remains a challenge.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The blades are big - they have been going to landfill and they've been disappearing into quarries and so forth.” — Andrew Billingsley, Chief Executive, Plaswire Ltd
- “Typically, a tonne of virgin plastic needs about three tonnes of CO2 in the manufacturing.” — Andrew Billingsley, Chief Executive, Plaswire Ltd
- “Hold your phone close to the product and the product will actually transmit and tell you the story through a mobile device, through your phone, or through an RFID scanner that will tell you when it was made, who made it, what production line it came off, where it originated, and what it is in its final product,” — Kieran Kelly, Founder, ubloquity
- “It's extremely remarkable to take a legacy industry to show the circular economy, to promote green and to use Northern Ireland's triple market access for positive economic growth, creating jobs.” — Kieran Kelly, Founder, ubloquity
What’s Next
The 18 new turbines will be installed as repurposed blade products enter construction and logistics supply chains. ubloquity intends to extend its QR/RFID platform to other wind farms, while Plaswire aims to scale blade-derived material for wider timber-substitute use.
