Corus, one of the largest steel producers in Europe, announced recently the company is planning to manufacture wind turbine steel jackets, and has chosen Teesside to be the location of the company's new manufacturing facility. With the growth of the offshore wind energy industry, the company is anticipating higher demand for steel foundations, which are used to tie the wind turbine down to the seabed.

The development of the new manufacturing plant is largely dependant on whether the company is successful in securing enough orders for monopiles. Corus is actually redeploying the company's existing redundant buildings at its Teesside site. According to the company's estimates, some six millon tons of steel will be needed in UK alone in order to build the planned number of offshore wind turbines.

[source: Corus]