Vestas to use recycled steel for Baltic Power's wind turbines

Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems A/S (CPH:VWS) will use low-carbon recycled steel from ArcelorMittal (AMS:MT) to build the turbine towers for the 1,140 MW Baltic Power offshore wind project in Poland.

The Polish project is the first where upper sections of the wind turbine towers will be constructed using recycled and sustainably produced heavy plate steel supplied by the major steel company as part of a partnership with Vestas.

The steel is manufactured by melting steel scrap in an electric arc furnace, powered entirely by wind energy, at ArcelorMittal's steel mill in Belgium. Subsequently, the steel slabs are converted into heavy plates used in the production of wind turbine towers at ArcelorMittal’s heavy plate mill in Gijon, Spain.

According to ArcelorMittal, the recycled steel can be used for the top section of offshore wind towers and the entire onshore wind turbine towers. This reduces carbon emissions by 25% and 52%, respectively, when compared with towers made from steel produced via the conventional steelmaking route, the steel major said.

Vestas signed a firm contract to deliver, install and commission 76 units of its V236-15.0 MW wind turbine for the Baltic Power project in September. The project, developed by Polish oil refiner PKN Orlen and Canada’s Northland Power Inc, reached a final investment decision (FID) in October. The wind farm is slated for commissioning in 2026.

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