Ørsted signs monopile foundation contracts for offshore wind projects

The two suppliers will be manufacturing a total of 107 monopile foundations for the German projects, including the foundation for the offshore substation for Gode Wind 3. Steelwind Nordenham will be supplying 66 monopiles, while Bladt Industries will be supplying 41 monopiles. In addition, Ørsted has secured call-off rights with Bladt and Steelwind for further volume for other projects, if needed.

Subject to Ørsted's final investment decisions, Gode Wind 3 and Borkum Riffgrund 3 are expected to become fully operational by 2024 and 2025, respectively. Both projects will be powered by Siemens Gamesa's 11 MW offshore wind turbines.

To carry the increasingly larger offshore wind turbines, monopile foundations have grown significantly in size over the past decade. The monopiles for future offshore wind farms, including Borkum Riffgrund 3 and Gode Wind 3, will be up to 100 meters long, have a diameter of almost 10 meters, and weigh 1,200 tonnes or more.

Richard Hunter, Chief Operating Officer at Ørsted, says: "Our global pipeline of offshore wind projects allows us to sign strategic volume contracts with the supply chain to ensure that key components are available to us when we need them. At the same time, by placing large volume orders, we can give suppliers the visibility they need to invest in their manufacturing facilities and build long-term capacity, which will benefit the whole industry and thereby benefit the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy."

Andreas Liessem, Managing Director of Steelwind Nordenham, says: "With our innovative products and services, we make an important contribution to the sustainable production of renewable energy. The cooperation with Ørsted for the construction of Borkum Riffgrund 3 and Gode Wind 3 proves that Steelwind Nordenham has established itself in the market as a reliable manufacturer of high-quality XL monopiles. We are proud to make a significant contribution to the energy transition with our monopiles, which are made of quality steel from our parent company Dillinger."

Anders Søe-Jensen, CEO of Bladt Industries, says: "We are happy to receive the orders from Ørsted, which allows us to continue our long-standing partnership. We consider it a vote of confidence, and we are pleased to continue our support for the green transition together with one of the world's leading energy companies. The production will create many new jobs in the Odense area in the years to come, and we expect all positions at our new production facility to be occupied from day one. With this order, we strengthen our position as a leading supplier to the offshore wind market."