The steelmaker Tata Steel UK has received funding from the Welsh government to support a major joint project to develop next-generation wind turbine towers made from British steel. This was announced in a company statement.

The funding was secured through the Welsh government’s SMART Flexible Innovation Support Program. The research project aims to develop wind turbine towers using steel strip-based solutions as an alternative to traditional sheet steel-based designs.

Partners in the joint project include Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC), Bute Energy, RWE, Hutchinson Engineering, and Ledwood Mechanical Engineering.

As noted, the project will combine industry experience and scientific knowledge to accelerate the design and production of wind turbine towers, as well as assess the role of low-emission steel in this process. With plans to transition to EAF, the company is well-positioned to support future commercial deployment if the research proves successful.

This work will also help assess how supply chains in Wales and the UK can meet the growing demand for offshore wind farm infrastructure as the country accelerates its progress toward meeting its environmental goals.

Offshore wind energy is expected to become an integral part of the UK’s transition to a low-carbon energy system, and significant expansion is planned in the near future.

As a reminder, a European consortium led by Tata Steel Nederland, with the participation of the Volkswagen Group, is working on a new generation of high-strength steel for car bodies. The new material is expected to make future cars safer, more durable, and more energy-efficient to manufacture.