Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH wins major contract

Salzgitter Group to supply around 70,000 tons of steel for the Meerwind Offshore Wind Park project

Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH (ILG), a member of the Salzgitter Group, has won the contract from AMBAU GmbH for the delivery of around 70,000 tons of heavy plate for the Meerwind Offshore Wind Park. This is one of the largest single contracts ever recorded by ILG.

AMBAU GmbH will use the plate for the foundation structures of the Meerwind Süd and Meerwind Ost offshore wind parks. They consist of 80 sets of monopiles and transition pieces on which the actual wind turbine towers are built.

The 80 offshore wind turbines of the 3.6 MW class, to be erected and operated 23 km north of the island of Helgoland, will supply 360,000 households with electricity in the future.

As from October, ILG will be delivering 1,700 tons of plate per week. The foundation structures will be manufactured in all five AMBAU plants from November 1, 2011 onwards. The final assembly, interim storage and shipping will be carried out in Cuxhaven.

The start of construction has been scheduled for the end of 2012, and commissioning will take place at the end of 2013.

The awarding of this contract to Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH underlines the company’s high level of competence and competitiveness. This contract is another step in the successful expansion of activities in the offshore wind industry.

Through winning this contract the Salzgitter Group also demonstrates that steel as a material is making an indispensable contribution in the realignment of the energy industry in the field of renewable energies.

Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH is a subsidiary of Salzgitter AG which, with roughly 200 subsidiaries and associated companies and around 25,000 employees, ranks among Europe's leading steel technology groups. ILG produces plate for a wide range of different applications and areas of use with its workforce of 800 employees in its Ilsenburg and Salzgitter production sites. The company supplies approximately 800,000 tons of heavy plate in around 350 grades of steel to customers all over the world.