• Thanks to investment in the new continuous casting of the Avilés Steelworks and the necessary adaptations carried out on the Gijón heavy plate mill, the plant is already supplying steel plates that respond to the new needs of the wind power sector - particularly for offshore wind farm projects.
  
  
• The first of these plates, weighing almost 18 tons, was produced on the heavy plate mill in October 2020 with a length of 10 m, a width of 2.5 m, and a thickness of 90 mm.

Comprehensive remodelling

The Avilés Steelworks completed its second phase of comprehensive remodelling in January 2020, which involved the modernisation of its no.2 continuous casting machine. This has enabled the production of slabs of greater widths (2200 mm) and greater thicknesses (365 mm). The work undertaken on the continuous caster responds to the needs of our European customers to benefit from heavier plates required in the fabrication of the latest generations of wind towers.

The ability to manufacture plates of about 20 tons improves competitive position

In addition to the modernisation carried out at the Avilés Steelworks, the Gijón heavy plate mill has been adapted to be able to receive the new large slabs and carry out their rolling.

After the production improvements carried out in recent months, in which the Avilés Steelworks has been gradually increasing the thickness of its slabs, the heavy plate mill at the Gijón factory is now capable of producing plates of close to 20 tons unit weight.

The revamping of the no. 2 continuous casting line in Avilès also includes the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies such as Dynamic soft reduction (DSR) and new systems allowing better control of inclusions improving the quality of the slabs, which will be rolled to produce heavy plates.

Therefore, the plates produced from these slabs in our nearby Gijón heavy plate mill are benefitting from these technologies with better internal (less segregation, better internal quality, better homogeneity) and external (cleaner surface aspects) conditions.

These upgrades allow us to extend our technical offer and to supply the full specification of different sizes and grades for more required projects in the wind sector and also in the oil & gas, shipbuilding, and civil engineering sectors.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Spain

Images:
©ArcelorMittal Spain, ©Ian Dick

With existing wind towers using up to 180 tonnes of heavy plate and hundreds of individual towers in a wind farm, the logistics of ensuring just-in-time deliveries of steel are critical for success. ArcelorMittal’s global footprint enables us to meet the needs of some of the leading players in this market – wherever they are located.

Our solutions

Our heavy plate is used to construct both the tower and, in offshore installations, the jackets that keep the turbine stable on the sea floor. ArcelorMittal is also working with wind turbine developers to create the next generation of towers which are lighter and do not require welding.

We also supply non-oriented fully processed electrical steels for the medium and high-power generators which sit at the top of the wind tower. These steels possess all of the required magnetic properties to maximise the amount of energy each turbine can produce.

Offshore wind farms

Our steels for offshore structures offer improved workability and weldability and can be supplied thermomechanically rolled or normalised. They can be utilised in applications such as platforms and equipment for new fixed wind towers.

ArcelorMittal can conduct the following tests if required:

• Ultrasonic testing
• Reduced Carbon Equivalent (CEV) or Parameter Crack Measurement (PCM) values
• Transversal impact tests
• Improved deformation properties perpendicular to the surface of the product as per EN 10164 (Z test)
• Post-Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) test

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Images: ArcelorMittal, Majeczka/Shutterstock.com, Andrea Crisante Pedrosala/Shutterstock.com

Related link(s)

Steel Solutions Provider to the Global Wind Energy Industry

ArcelorMittal – the Leading Supplier of Steel Solutions for the Global Wind Energy Industry!

With our two newest Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for Hot rolled and Cold rolled steels, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products is now the only flat products steel producer in the EU with a full set of EPDs for products and solutions, signalling our commitment to sustainable building.

Vital for sustainable building certifications

EPDs are crucial for sustainable building certifications like LEED, BREEAM, DGNB, BNB, or HQE and are now being introduced into national regulations for construction. EPDs explain the optimisation potential over the lifetime of their products to manufacturers who can utilise the information to conserve resources, resulting in a low impact built environment and life cycle cost-effectiveness.

The Institut Bauen und Umwelt - IBU

An EPD details the environmental effects of building products based on a life cycle assessment. It is created by the manufacturer and then reviewed by IBU (the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.) on the basis of ISO 14025 and EN 15804.

ArcelorMittal Europe is a member of IBU and, through IBU, global recognition is ensured by their ECO Platform, an organisation of national EPD programme holders in Europe that promotes the cross-border recognition and application of EPDs.

Text: Constructalia
Images: ArcelorMittal Europe, Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.