NLMK DanSteel A/S, part of NLMK Europe Plate and Denmark’s only manufacturer of steel plates, has supplied 200 tonnes of plates with special dimensions made from high-strength steel for the construction of experimental foundations for offshore wind turbines as part of The PISA Project, the European research and development programme.

The aim of the project is to improve the construction of foundations for offshore wind turbines in order to reduce cost, and consequently, to raise the investment appeal of wind power. Other participants from the Danish side are DONG Energy and Bladt Industries A/S, the manufacturer of foundations for turbines. The research project is carried out by the UK Carbon Trust as part of the Offshore Wind Accelerator programme (OWA), aimed at promoting offshore wind generation and reducing the cost of wind energy.

Assembly and testing of the foundations for offshore wind turbines manufactured with the use of thick plates supplied by DanSteel will take place in September 2014. Experiments will be held in Dunkirk (France) and Cowden (Great Britain). It is planned that by the end of 2014 the results of the experiment will be used in order to develop an industrial prototype for the new type offshore wind turbine foundations.

NLMK DanSteel joined the European programme aimed at improving the construction of offshore wind turbines in May 2014. It is the only supplier of thick plates of special dimensions made from high-strength steel for the programme.

Research carried out as part of the programme has shown that the current geotechnical design for the foundations of offshore wind turbines is very conservative. Oxford University, Imperial College London and University College Dublin have developed a new, more progressive method. In order to implement it, a series of experiments must be performed using large-dimension steel piles under lateral load.

Currently, 28% of electric power in Denmark is generated by wind turbines. The Danish Government is planning to bring the share of renewable generation in the country’s energy balance to 50% by 2020; and to 100% by 2050.