USFR plans tower fabrication facility for US offshore wind market

The company will use these the facilities to service the growing domestic offshore wind market, filling what it described as “a critical supply chain gap” for offshore wind components and alleviating bottlenecks.

The company is in the final stages of evaluating locations for the facility, on the East Coast of the US, and expects to announce a decision soon. 

USFR said it is committed to producing products that are “100% made in the US” and has established relationships with Nucor, North America’s largest steel producer and recycler, and Ellwood Quality Steels, North America’s leading ingot caster, to ensure this is possible.

Once operational, the tower fabrication facility will produce 100 fully coated towers annually. It is designed to be able to manufacture up to 200 towers annually, depending on demand. 

The new steel forging facility will produce large flanges of up to 12 m in diameter, making it the largest ring rolling facility in North America. The facility will also produce forged components required in other heavy industries including nuclear energy, construction, shipping and mining. 

USFR president Giacomo Sozzi said, “This substantial investment serving offshore wind was spurred by our confidence in the medium and long-term prospects of the US market, which is in its early phases of development and needs a local supply chain to rely on. 

“These facilities will enable US developers and OEMs to have predictable costs and a reliable supply of vital components. The facilities will also result in direct environmental benefits, including the reduction of pollution emitted by shipping these huge components from overseas.” 

USFR managing director Slavko Zurovac said all of the sites that are being considered have access to waterways, rail and utilities, providing logistic benefits and helping to make them competitive.

Once all permits and regulatory approvals are secured, construction of the facilities is expected to take 16-20 months, with first towers entering production in Q1 2026. 

USFR said the facilities will create more than 500 US full-time employment positions. The facilities will also limit their carbon footprint by utilising 77% recycled content.