From 20-22 March 2024, ArcelorMittal played a significant role in WindEurope’s annual event held in Bilbao, Spain. The ArcelorMittal team of experts engaged in three panel sessions, contributing valuable insights to the wind industry.

• Stephane Tondo, Head of Climate Change - Governmental Affairs, participated in the session ‘Can the wind industry reduce its dependency on Asia?’.
• Jose Manuel Carvalho, Head of Renewable Energy Business, participated in the session ‘Electrifying transport, heat, and industry with wind’, part of the ‘Electrifying industry / steel’ theme.
• Denis Parein, Sales and Marketing director for Heavy plates Europe participated in the session ‘Floating offshore wind’, part of the ‘Mobilising Industry through Auctions and Volume’ theme.

These sessions provided great opportunities for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and forward-thinking discussions. ArcelorMittal remains committed to advancing sustainable solutions in the wind energy sector.

Supply chain collaboration: a path forward

The WindEurope ‘Offshore wind supply chain workshop’ provided a constructive and collaborative exchange forum where key actors from the European wind industry engaged in discussions about overcoming challenges across different development phases, from bid preparation to decommissioning.  

Nicolas Messias, ArcelorMittal Segment Leader for Wind, had the possibility to exchange on the challenges inherent to the European steel industry (steel being the main material in volume on wind projects) in the context of growing demand related to offshore wind, decarbonisation, and the recent evolution of the European legislative environment (NZIA, CRMA, etc).   

This workshop was a more-than-welcome, well-organised initiative by WindEurope that enabled a diverse range of stakeholders to foster a collaborative and inclusive approach, paving the way to innovative solutions for rapid scaling up of offshore wind installations.

ArcelorMittal’s saline resistant weathering steel: a breakthrough in offshore applications

The WindEurope event showcased an array of research posters, each delving into diverse topics and offering delegates a chance to engage with authors and explore their work. Among these, ArcelorMittal’s poster on saline resistant weathering steel, created by Krista Van den Bergh, Senior Project Engineer, ArcelorMittal Global R&D Gent, stood out earning recognition and an award.

Offshore environments pose unique challenges for steel structures due to the aggressive conditions induced by seawater and atmospheric chlorides. ArcelorMittal’s research and development efforts have led to the creation of a cost-effective corrosion-resistant steel substrate. Key findings include:

• Strength achievement: mechanical characterisation revealed that an S420 strength level can be comfortably achieved for plates of 20 mm thickness. Moreover, this strength level remains within reach for plates as thick as 50 mm.
• Real-world testing: the focus now shifts to corrosion testing of the industrially produced saline resistant weathering grade. Special attention is being given to atmospheric exposure testing at marine locations.

High strength offshore steel plates play a pivotal role

David Quidort, R&D engineer for Industeel, participated, presenting a poster on another critical topic: high strength offshore steel plates. These plates, with a yield strength of 690 MPa, play a vital role in the elevating system of jack-up installation vessels used for offshore wind projects.

As the number of offshore wind projects continues to surge, there is a growing need for high-end jack-up installation vessels capable of handling the demands of larger wind turbines. These vessels must withstand harsh marine conditions while ensuring safe and efficient installation.

Industeel has developed a range of 690 MPa offshore structural steel plates specifically designed for this purpose. These plates, with thicknesses ranging from 210 mm to 250 mm, provide the necessary strength and durability for the elevating systems of modern wind turbine installation vessels. As the offshore wind industry scales up, these high strength steel plates will continue to play a pivotal role in supporting clean energy generation.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
WindEurope

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Updated Environmental Product Declarations for XCarb® recycled and renewably produced flat products are available now on Constructalia.

Keeping you up-to-date

The following XCarb® recycled and renewably produced flat product EPDs have been updated as per The International EPD® System:

• XCarb® recycled and renewably produced heavy plates
• XCarb® recycled and renewably produced cold rolled coils
• XCarb® recycled and renewably produced hot rolled coils
• XCarb® recycled and renewably produced pickled and oiled hot rolled coils
• XCarb® recycled and renewably produced hot dip galvanised steel coils with Magnelis® coating
• XCarb® recycled and renewably produced hot dip galvanised steel coils with zinc coating

Download them on the right or visit our EPD library.

Text:
Constructalia

Images:
ArcelorMittal Europe

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A low carbon emissions steel production partnership between Vestas and ArcelorMittal will make its first delivery of XCarb® recycled and renewably produced heavy plate steel to an offshore wind farm, built by Baltic Power in Poland.

XCarb® heavy plates, certified with an EPD

Vestas, the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions, has established a partnership with ArcelorMittal to launch a low carbon emissions steel offering that significantly reduces the lifetime carbon dioxide emissions from the production of wind turbine towers.

The low carbon emissions steel is produced using 100% steel scrap which is melted in an electric arc furnace powered by 100% wind energy at the ArcelorMittal steel mill - Industeel Charleroi - in Belgium. The steel slabs are then transformed into heavy plates used for the manufacture of wind turbine towers at ArcelorMittal’s heavy plate mill in Gijón, Spain. These heavy plates, made with XCarb® recycled and renewably produced heavy plate steel, are initially suitable for an entire onshore wind turbine tower and the top section of offshore wind turbine towers.

The low carbon emissions heavy plate steel has an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), certified by an independent party, detailing the complete environmental footprint of the product and allowing for easier comparison between products. ArcelorMittal is the only steel producer to produce low carbon emissions heavy plate steel in large dimensions (up to 18 tonnes), minimising the need for welding and associated CO₂ emissions.

By utilising low carbon emissions steel in the top two sections of an offshore tower, the emissions reduction translates to a 25% reduction in emissions compared with a tower made from steel produced via the conventional steelmaking route. For an entire onshore tower, the CO₂ reduction is at least 52%.

Commitment from Baltic Power wind farm

Steel and iron constitute 80-90% of a wind turbine's material mass and approximately 50% of a turbine’s total lifecycle emissions. In partnering with ArcelorMittal, Vestas has taken an important step forward to reduce CO₂ emissions occurring in its supply chain and can achieve a 66% decrease in emission intensity per kg steel compared with steel made via the conventional steelmaking route.

Even though the low carbon emissions steel is not yet a standard offering from Vestas, the first project using low carbon emissions steel will be the Baltic Power offshore wind farm off the coast of Poland. In 2025, Vestas will start the construction of the offshore wind farm, which is expected to generate up to up to 1.2 GW and ultimately supply clean electricity to more than 1.5 million households in Poland. Vestas will supply, install, and commission 76 V236-15.0 MW wind turbines for the Baltic Power project. Around 52 towers out of 76 will be made with low carbon emissions steel.

Decarbonising renewable energy for a sustainable future

Dieter Dehoorne, Head of Global Procurement at Vestas, says: “Finding ways to decarbonise the emissions produced during the raw material extraction and refinement of steel is vital for us and the industry in general. Vestas sees the partnership with ArcelorMittal and the adoption of low emission steel as a significant lever in reducing CO₂  emissions within the wind industry. Commitment from our customers is vital to drive the transition, so we are very happy that we can provide value to our customers with this solution. The Baltic Power project stands as a solid example of this progress, having secured the first order and affirming the delivery of substantial value to our customers.”

Laurent Plasman, CMO Industry, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products, says: “This partnership sends a strong message that it is possible today to start building the renewable energy infrastructure needed in Europe with low carbon emissions steel made with a European supply chain. Having a strong partnership throughout the supply chain is vital to achieve this, so we would like to thank Vestas and Baltic Power for their vision in using XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel in this important offshore wind project. With stronger public policy support for the use of low carbon emissions steel in the building of renewables' infrastructure, this project could be the first of many to provide wind energy for homes and industry across Europe.”

Jarosław Broda, CEO Baltic Power, says: "As the first offshore wind farm in the world to utilise low emission steel, Baltic Power, a joint venture between ORLEN and Northland Power, is pioneering a sustainable future in the renewable energy sector. Being the largest investment in renewable sources in this part of Europe, our project is setting new benchmarks. The use of low emission steel from Vestas and ArcelorMittal in our wind farm underscores our commitment to innovation and environmental stewardship. We are proud to lead the way in transforming Poland's energy landscape as we progress towards completing the construction by 2026."

About Vestas

Vestas has more than 40 years of experience in wind energy and was the first company to reach the 100-GW landmarks for both the installation and service of wind turbines.

More info: www.vestas.com

About Baltic Power

The ORLEN Group, which owns Baltic Power, is the largest fuel and energy company in Central Europe. The ORLEN Group aims to become a net zero carbon business by 2050.

More info: balticpower.pl

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications

Images:
ArcelorMittal and Vestas

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