Bilbao home of turbine tower plant

By: Matthew White

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23/05/2018 Haizea Wind Group
Port of BilbaoHaizea Wind has inaugurated at the Port of Bilbao one of the largest wind towers and offshore foundations manufacturing plants in Europe.

The total investment made between the construction of the building, its equipment and commissioning has exceeded EUR 60million.

The manufacturing plant covers an area of approximately 77,000m2 on the AZ-2 quay of the extension of the port, specifically in the Zierbena area, with direct access to the berthing line, which has a depth of 21m.

On the other hand, the facility itself is 500m long and is made of three bays, each 35m wide. It is also equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, which allows it to produce large, pieces with the short lead times. The factory’s capabilities have been developed to cover the current and future dimensions of offshore towers and foundations.

In full production capacity, Haizea Wind say they can manufacture 300 sections of offshore towers of 50m long and up to 8.6m diameter and a plate thickness of 130mm per year.

In addition, the plant will also manufacture other large parts used in offshore wind farms such as monopiles and transition pieces (TPs). It will aim to produce 100 monopiles of 100m long and up to 10.5m of diameter per year.

The raw material used is sheets of carbon steel, most of which are delivered from nearby steel mills; the flanges, also made of steel, and internal electrical and mechanical components. Specifically, the plant is expected to use, among other raw materials, around 142,500 tons of thick steel sheets and 7,500 tonnes of flanges. In total, it expects to provide the port a traffic of nearly 150,000 tonnes/year when it is at full production capacity.

Production has commenced with 86 employees, but it aims to have between 250 and 300 when operating at full capacity.

The construction was carried out by the joint venture formed by the companies Construcciones Intxausti, Byco (Inbisa Construcción) and Gaimaz Infraestructuras y Servicios. Its construction and use are part of the Port Authority’s investment plan to activate the implementation of logistic-industrial projects, such as wind power, which provide traffic and generate; jobs, resources and wealth for the territory.

About the Author

4C Offshore | Matthew White
Matthew White

01502 307037 Matthew.White@4coffshore.net
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