Open / Close Advertisement

Corus Introduces Product for Renewable Energy Sector

11/11/2009 - Corus unveils a new high-quality steel product used in the construction of wind towers following development work at its UK research labs.

Corus has unveiled a new high-quality steel product for the renewable energy market following development work at its UK research labs. Corus Special Profiles in Skinningrove, North East England, has secured five European orders thus far for the product, which is used in the construction of wind towers.
 
The orders were secured following development work by Corus engineers in Scunthorpe and Skinningrove (Teesside), as well as at the company’s research labs in Rotherham.  Researchers and engineers identified the exact processes needed to create the high-quality steel at the Skinningrove mill.
 
The steel is manufactured in Scunthorpe and transported to Skinningrove where it is reheated to 1250°C before being rolled into a customer’s desired shape. The end product is a bar of steel that typically measures 15 meters in length and weighs 4 tonnes. It undergoes rigorous inspection and testing, including ultrasonic scans, to ensure it is free from defects, according to Corus.
 
The steel is then shipped to manufacturers of flanges, which are used to join sections of tubular steel in the construction of towers for wind turbines. Corus says that there is rapidly growing demand for wind turbines around the world, and it believes that the market for this specialist steel product is worth almost £100 million a year.
 
“This is part of our strategy to capture the increasing value of fast-growing industrial sectors, in this case renewable energy,” said Chris Elliot, Corus Director of Product Line Management. “Our ambition is to be both supplier of choice for renewable energy customers and a key player in sustainable supply chains in this emerging sector.”
 
“There are only a handful of companies around the world capable of making this product,” added Peter Gate, Commercial Manager for Corus Special Profiles. “There was a tremendous amount of commitment and enthusiasm from the Skinningrove workforce to develop it in a very short time frame.”
 
The Skinningrove business also supplies high-quality steel products to a range of global markets such as earthmoving equipment and shipbuilding.
 
Corus, Europe's second largest steel producer with main steelmaking operations primarily in the UK and the Netherlands, supplies steel and related services to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering, and other markets worldwide. Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, one of the world’s top 10 steel producers. The combined enterprise has an aggregate crude steel capacity of more than 28 million tonnes and about 80,000 employees across four continents.