SeAH Wind has rolled the first steel can in pre-production trials at its £900m monopile manufacturing facility at Teesworks in the UK.
The first 7.5-meter diameter steel can was rolled earlier this month using new roll bending machines from Hausler operated by SeAH Wind employees under the supervision of the equipment manufacturer.
The trial roll was run like a production day with a pre-production briefing. The company said quality assurance and health and safety staff attended the roll with no interruptions from either department.
Additional large diameter sections will now be produced to simulate the full manufacturing process, gather critical data, validate equipment and ensure process quality.
Construction of the 1.1 million sq ft facility is nearing completion as SeAH Wind enters the final 10% of the build-out on the 120-acre site.
Production manager Paul Martin said: “This is a pivotal and significant milestone at SeAH Wind as it signals the first steel can rolled within the factory. There has been a lot of progress made to get to this moment.”
Upon completion of the factory, SeAH Wind will export monopiles to US and European markets.
The project is expected to create up to 750 jobs by 2027.