Analysis commissioned by UK Steel shows that in the last five years less than 2% of steel used in UK wind farms was fabricated in the UK, and almost none using UK-made steel. Of the imported components, 55% came from rest of Europe, 26% from Middle East or China and 18% was of unknown origin.
Research shows the British steel sector can already supply up to 13 million of the 25 million tonnes of steel needed for offshore wind over 25 years.
The statistics from LumenEE's report show steelmakers could meet up to 86% of offshore wind plate requirements with investment.
The UK offshore wind pipeline out to 2030 will need approx 6 million tonnes of steel. This is almost 6x greater than steel demand for highways, rail, defence, nuclear and government buildings combined.