Press release Dillinger und Steelwind Nordenham
10 years of Steelwind Nordenham – a stable foundation for the energy transition
21 June 2021
Steelwind Nordenham is celebrating its anniversary: 10 years ago – in September 2011 – the Supervisory Board of Aktien-Gesellschaft der Dillinger Hüttenwerke (Dillinger) decided to establish the subsidiary company to produce the foundations for offshore wind turbines known as monopiles. The company is located on a shipyard site in Nordenham, at the mouth of the Weser river where it merges into the North Sea. A lot has happened since then.
Steelwind (SWN) was founded in 2011. Since completion of the plant in 2014, the company has been manufacturing premium-quality monopiles and transition pieces for offshore wind farms around the world. Soon it will begin manufacturing single-piece monopiles that integrate the transition piece. Monopile dimensions reach record-breaking unit weights of up to 2,400 tons and lengths of up to 120 meters, with diameters of up to 10 meters. The high-tech steel plate for the monopiles comes from the parent company Dillinger in Saarland.
By 2015, Steelwind had already received an order to manufacture foundations for the Race Bank wind farm in England. Several other projects have since been successfully completed. Most recently, especially large “Beyond XXL” monopiles were produced and delivered for the Yunlin offshore wind farm in Taiwan. Production will start soon for another major order – the Arcadis Ost 1. Steelwind has become well-established in the expanding offshore wind farm market due to the high quality of its products and delivery service.
Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Dillinger and Saarstahl, said: "With the founding of Steelwind Nordenham, the Dillinger Supervisory Board demonstrated foresight and recognized steel as the foundation of the energy transition. With their products, Steelwind Nordenham and Dillinger are contributing significantly to achieving Europe’s climate targets. It is essential to protect this competitive edge for a successful energy transition.”
“We are well positioned for the future here at the Nordenham site, together with our qualified employees. Since the very beginning, Steelwind Nordenham has stood for excellence in quality, service and technical innovation in the manufacture and development of ever-larger monopiles. We will consistently and persistently continue on and further develop this path in the future,” added Steelwind Managing Director Dr. Ralf Hubo.
Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony's Minister for the Environment, Energy, Building and Climate Protection, said: “The energy transition and climate targets cannot be achieved without tapping the enormous potential of offshore wind energy. The expansion of offshore wind energy requires steel, and this will safeguard value creation and jobs in our region. These opportunities must be seized, because climate protection brings sustainable jobs and ensures a stable future for our children.”
Offshore wind farms are one of the pillars of the pan-European energy transition: The EU is currently planning to expand electricity generation from offshore wind to 300 gigawatts by 2050. Germany plans to expand to 40 gigawatts by 2040. With the expertise, technical investment and development experience acquired through 10 years of intensive work, Steelwind Nordenham is well established and ready to help achieve the energy transition in affiliation with Dillinger.
About Steelwind Nordenham GmbH
Steelwind Nordenham GmbH, a Dillinger Group company, has been manufacturing monopiles and transition pieces in Nordenham since 2015, and now also produces single-piece monopile foundations with unit weights of up to 2,400 tons. The single-piece monopile foundation replaces the previous design with a separate monopile and transition piece by integrating certain parts of the transition piece into the monopile. The monopile can then be up to 120 meters long. The steel for the monopiles comes from Dillinger, Europe's leading heavy plate manufacturer, located in Saarland. SWN currently employs 275 people. More information can be found at www.steelwind-nordenham.de
About Dillinger
Aktien-Gesellschaft der Dillinger Hüttenwerke (Dillinger), founded in 1685, is a world leader today in the manufacture of high-grade heavy plate steel. The Dillinger Group employs a total of around 6,200 people. High-tech plate from Dillinger is used to realize extraordinary and technically advanced projects all over the globe, including in the areas of steel construction, engineering, offshore, offshore wind power, and line pipe and boiler construction. More information can be found at www.dillinger.de
Contacts
Ute Engel
Martin Reinicke
Gathered to celebrate 10 years of Steelwind Nordenham and successful collaboration (from left): SWN Managing Director Dr. Ralf Hubo, Dr. Günter Luxenburger, Chief Sales Officer Dillinger, Environment Minister Olaf Lies and Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Dillinger and Saarstahl. (Copyright: Steelwind Nordenham)
Loading of XXL monopiles at Steelwind Nordenham for the Yunlin wind farm off the coast of Taiwan. The enormous dimensions of the monopiles place special demands on the technology and logistics. (Copyright: Steelwind Nordenham)