Tata Steel Europe, a part of India-based steelmaker Tata Steel, has announced that is investing £2 million in its Hartlepool tube works in the UK due to growing activity in the renewables industry requiring large volumes of jacket fabrications for wind tower structures.
Tata Steel will establish a central supply base at Hartlepool, for steel tubular sections to be used in the fabrication of wind turbine steel foundation structures, known as jacket foundations. Work on the site is scheduled to begin in October and to be completed by spring next year.
Tata Steel also announced that it has signed a supply deal with German steel tube producer Eisenbau Krämer (EBK) to increase its product and service offering to the offshore renewable energy sector. This move will also expand its presence in the renewable market.
According to the supply agreement, tubes with a diameter of 400 mm and above will be produced by Tata Steel and EBK using plates manufactured by Tata Steel's Scunthorpe or Dalzell plants in the UK.