TATA Steel has secured a major contract from Siemens Wind Power to supply 25,000 tonnes of high quality profiled steel plate for wind towers.

The order, the largest to date for the steel company’s dedicated wind tower hub in Scunthorpe, is worth an eight figure £ sum and establishes TATA Steel as a key supplier to Siemens Wind Power.

TATA Steel will deliver 25,000 tonnes of profiled plate (cut into the desired shape) between April and September this year.

The steel will be used to build about 150 onshore wind turbine towers. TATA Steel has already supplied Siemens Wind Power with 6,000 tonnes of steel plate for similar developments in the UK and Europe.

Mr Phil Knowles TATA Steel commercial manager for power generation, said: “Demand for steel in the renewable energy sector will continue to grow, and we’re ideally placed to help our customers tap into this important opportunity. This major contract, and our position as Siemens Wind Power’s nominated sub contractor, is a direct result of the investment in our Scunthorpe wind tower hub and a great deal of work from the TATA Steel team.”

Steel plate will be manufactured at TATA Steel’s plate mills in Scunthorpe, and Dalzell, in Motherwell, Scotland, before being cut to size and edge profiled at the company’s dedicated wind tower hub in Scunthorpe. The steel will be delivered to a fabricator which will form the plate into round sections before they are welded together to form the turbine tower.