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Vestas Wind Systems A/S [VWS:DC], the world’s largest turbine producer, is collaborating with steelmaker ArcelorMittal SA [MT:NA] to use recycled steel for the production of wind towers, as reported by Bloomberg on January 16. The recycled steel for Vestas will be made from scrap at an ArcelorMittal mill in Belgium using an electric arc furnace (EAF) and wind power, requiring less energy than making new steel from ore. Starting next year, these towers will first be installed in the Baltic Power farm, a large-scale offshore wind power project in Poland with a total capacity of up to 1,140 megawatts (MW). Compared with traditional models, the turbines made with recycled steel have 66% less emissions associated with the supply chain, according to Vestas.
The move aims at addressing the environmental impact of manufacturing wind turbines, a process often associated with high carbon emissions due to energy-intensive materials like steel and iron. Vestas views steel as a key lever in its pursuit of making greener wind turbines. According to the company, adopting low-emission steel in the top two sections of an offshore tower would cut the total tower’s emissions by 25%. Moreover, the emissions reduction would be even more for onshore towers, as the steel can be used for the entire tower. Last June, Vestas also formed a sustainability partnership with Danish wind farm developer Ørsted [ORSTED:DC] to install low-carbon steel towers and blades made from recycled materials at their joint offshore wind farms.
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