Research begins on wind turbine towers made with UK steel

Pic credit: Tata Steel

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult is leading a ground-breaking research and development team to transform the design and manufacture of steel onshore wind turbine towers – making them more efficient and sustainable. The consortium, largely based in Wales, includes Tata Steel UK, RWE, Bute Energy, Hutchinson Engineering, and Ledwood, and the project has won £174,000 SMART Flexible Innovation Support from the Welsh government.

Most wind turbine towers currently built in the UK rely on imported thick steel plate for construction, creating a potential bottleneck for renewable energy projects. The initiative could change this, by developing a tower design that uses thin strip, coil based, low-emission steel, produced in electric arc furnaces – enabling lighter, more efficient structures that could significantly cut costs.

Dr Cristina Garcia-Duffy, director of research and engineering at ORE Catapult, said: “This innovation represents a major step forward in wind turbine tower design, with the potential to significantly enhance technical performance while also delivering substantial economic and environmental benefits for Wales and the wider UK. By combining low emission steel with advanced engineering and design techniques, we are targeting meaningful reductions in both lifecycle costs and carbon emissions. This approach not only improves the sustainability of turbine infrastructure but also strengthens UK competitiveness in the sector.”

The steel wind turbine tower would be constructed using design methods widely used in the marine and aerospace sectors to create strong, lightweight structures. Crucially, the design would also meet current industry standards, creating a credible route to industrial adoption, with the ability to integrate with other existing turbine and foundation designs, including floating offshore wind structures as part of future project phases.

Forward-thinking collaboration
Rebecca Evans MS, cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning, in the Welsh government, said: “By backing homegrown innovation and locally produced low-emission steel, we are helping to create high-value jobs, strengthen our supply chains, and position Wales at the forefront of the global offshore wind revolution. This is exactly the kind of bold, forward-thinking collaboration that will deliver real benefits for Welsh communities.”

Tata Steel UK is the largest steel manufacturer in the UK, based in Port Talbot, South Wales. Sumitesh Das, director and board member, Tata Steel Research and Innovation added: “We are excited to participate in this project, along with our business development teams at Tata Steel UK, to develop strip steel based designs for onshore wind turbines which would be a first of its kind.

“This innovation, if successful, would position the UK and Wales as a hub for innovation while supporting the entire supply chain to meet its emissions targets. As Tata Steel UK transitions to electric arc furnace steelmaking, our ambition is to ensure domestic supply chains capitalise on the growth of clean energy and help drive economic growth in the UK.”

The first phase of the project will look specifically at onshore tower design, the supply chain and commercial case for the solution. Learnings could also be applied to offshore wind turbines and floating wind in subsequent phases.