One of the largest offshore windparks in the world, which went into operation this year, has its foundations on steel from Dillinger, claims the German steelmaker, founded in 1685 and billed as 'a world leader in the manufacture of high-grade heavy steel plate.
The windpark is located around 85km north of the coast of the province of Groningen in what is described as 'one of the windiest areas off the Dutch coast. It stretches over 68km2 and comprises a total of 150 wind turbines with an overall output of 600MW. According to Dillinger, the windpark is currently among the most powerful in the world and can supply over 400,000 households in the Netherlands with electricity.
The windpark's turbines are based on 'monopiles' (foundations anchored in the sea, consisting of large, thick-walled construction tubes up to 73 metres in length and seven metres in diameter.
Dillinger supplied around 94.5kt of thermomechancially rolled (TM) plates with plate thicknesses of up to 95mm. Individual plates weigh up to 32 tonnes. "This gigantic project made full use of the huge production possibilities for TM plates, going to the limits of what was feasible at that time," said the steelmaker.
"Dillinger can even supply these steels with individual plate weights of 35 tonnes and is thus at the leading edge of this technology worldwide," said the company.