USFR plots East Coast wind tower facility

USFR said it is in the final stages of evaluating East Coast locations and will use the facilities to fill “a critical supply chain gap for offshore wind components”. All potential sites, according to managing director Slavko Zurovac, “are strategically positioned with access to required waterways, rail, and utilities, providing significant logistical benefits and making it competitive to supply large components”. 

Once operational, the tower fabrication facility will produce 100 fully coated towers annually. The facility is designed to be expandable to up to 200 towers annually, depending on demand. The new steel forging facility, meanwhile, will produce large flanges up to 40 ft (12.2 m) in diameter, making it the largest ring rolling facility in North America and Europe, said USFR. The facility will also produce forged components required in other heavy industries including nuclear energy, construction, shipping, and mining.

“This substantial investment serving US offshore wind was spurred by our confidence in the medium and long-term prospects of the US market, which is in its early phases of development and needs a local supply chain to rely on,” said Giacomo Sozzi, president of USFR. “These facilities will enable US developers and OEMs to have predictable costs and a reliable supply of vital components. Equally important, the investment will result in direct environmental benefits including the reduction of significant pollution emitted by otherwise shipping these huge components from overseas.”

The company is also committed to producing final products that 100 percent made in the USA, calling upon strategic supply chain partnerships with North American steel producer and recycler Nucor and ingot caster Ellwood Quality Steels.

Once all permits and regulatory approvals are secured, construction of the facilities is expected to take 16-20 months, with first towers beginning production in Q1 2026.