Life extension is becoming one of the most important areas of focus in onshore wind. Many European wind farms are now between ten and thirty years old, and with repowering and new development increasingly constrained by planning, supply chain pressures, and grid availability, owners are turning their attention to operating safely and profitably beyond original design life.
Late-life operation introduces new engineering, operational, and commercial challenges. It also shifts more risk onto the operator. At the same time, a well-structured life extension programme is essential to protect the value at risk within an owner’s financial model. Without a defensible approach, late-life revenue assumptions weaken and can materially reduce future cashflows and asset value. When delivered well, life extension can also unlock new value by safely adding years of operation, improving confidence in late-life performance, and supporting upgrade or repowering strategies that can enhance long-term returns.
With the release of IEC 61400-28, the first dedicated international standard for Through Life Management and Life Extension of Wind Farms, it is worth exploring what the standard helps clarify and where operators still need judgement and structured engineering support.
What the IEC Standard Says
Data is essential
IEC highlights the central role of data throughout the life extension process. Quality datasets reduce uncertainty, improve confidence in engineering decisions, and help operators understand how assets have performed across their original service life. Type certificates, inspections, SCADA, met data, and component histories all contribute to building an accurate baseline for assessment.
Inspections and maintenance are fundamental
The standard reinforces that strong physical inspection and maintenance practice are key to safe late-life operation. Understanding how components are designed and how they fail helps define inspection scope and frequency. Often, reliable late-life operation begins with getting the fundamentals right.
Analytical assessment matters but is complex
The standard outlines available analytical approaches but does not explain how to execute them well. Analytical modelling requires technical expertise, quality inputs, and careful interpretation. Done well, it provides clarity on fatigue, lifetime consumption, safe operating limits, and remaining useful life.
What the IEC Standard Does Not Say
It does not define your strategic goal
Owners need a clear strategy long before late-life assessments begin. Questions include:
- What is the desired extension period
- How should cost and risk be balanced
- When does repowering or exit become attractive
- What planning constraints influence long-term options
Each site and each portfolio has a different strategic context, and the engineering work must align with it.
It does not solve missing or poor data
Many older wind farms have limited historical records. Operators must decide how to address gaps in met data, SCADA completeness, or inspection history. This requires judgement, methods to rebuild or substitute data, and clarity on how uncertainty affects results.
It does not define the right inspection strategy
The IEC recommended list is comprehensive and, for many assets, unnecessary. Non-destructive testing on all structural components may not be required if the analytical assessment is positive and the extension period is modest. A risk-based inspection strategy is often safer, more proportionate, and more cost effective.
It does not guide you through analytical choices
Operators must still determine which modelling approach is right for their assets. This includes:
- Relative versus absolute assessment
- How to compensate for missing inputs
- How to interpret uncertainties
- How to integrate results into investment cases
Analytical work should support everyone from site technicians to the boardroom.
Protecting Value at Risk and Unlocking New Value
For owners and investors, life extension is fundamentally a value protection exercise. Financial models often assume operation to year 25 or 30. If extension cannot be demonstrated safely and credibly, those assumptions fall away and significant future cashflows can be lost.
A well structured programme can also unlock new value by:
- Increasing confidence in late life AEP
- Safely extending operating horizons
- Supporting targeted upgrades such as controls, aero devices, and LEP
- Strengthening repowering cases
- Extending PPAs or improving commercial flexibility
Life extension, done properly, is one of the most effective ways to protect and grow long-term asset value.
What Operators Should Do Next
Life extension requires a coordinated approach that brings together data, inspections, loads assessment, commercial modelling, and operational decision making. The IEC standard provides helpful foundations, but owners still need clear structure, technical judgement, and a programme that links engineering evidence to commercial outcomes.
How Atharra Can Help
Atharra provides structured, evidence-led support across the full lifecycle of life extension and late-life management. Our work reduces uncertainty, safeguards asset integrity, and supports confident decisions on whether to extend, repower, or exit.
Portfolio Life Extension Assessment
We review your portfolio to identify where life extension is feasible, assess value at risk, and prioritise sites that merit detailed study. This ensures effort and investment focus on the projects with the greatest potential impact.
Detailed Life Extension Study
We carry out engineering assessments that integrate design data, operating history, loads analysis, and asset condition. This defines remaining useful life, confirms safe operating limits, and provides the technical evidence needed for investment and operational decisions.
Asset Integrity Engineering Support
We assess, manage, and resolve integrity issues across structural and mechanical components. Our focus is on maintaining safety, compliance, and reliability throughout late-life operation.
Late-Life Management Plan Development
We translate findings into clear, actionable plans that include inspection strategies, operational limits, monitoring requirements, and practical steps to achieve target life without unnecessary interventions or cost.
Value Delivered
Our approach gives owners clear technical and financial evidence to support life extension, repowering, or divestment decisions. This protects existing value and unlocks new long-term potential across ageing portfolios.
We'd be delighted to discuss this topic further, so please don't hesitate in getting in touch info@atharra.com
