High rare earth demand could make Europe’s offshore wind expansion more difficult

A study published in Nature Energy found that if the EU prioritizes offshore wind expansion, rare earth demand could still approach the level in a full expansion scenario, even if solar and onshore wind construction slows. The model estimates that by 2050, total installed wind and solar capacity in the offshore wind priority scenario would be about 22% lower, but the rare earths required for new equipment would still total about 69,200 tonnes, equivalent to 93% of the full expansion scenario. The estimate assumes that material requirements per unit of installed capacity remain unchanged. It covers only new power generation equipment added relative to 2023, excludes materials needed for grids, energy storage, and electric vehicles, and is not an annual demand figure.