The offshore wind market has been growing rapidly in recent years, and this is felt by the world-leading supplier of offshore wind turbine foundations, Bladt Industries.

Recently, Bladt Industries signed a major contract with U.S. energy company Dominion Energy, to produce 176 transition pieces for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, which will become America’s largest offshore wind farm. This is the company’s largest order of its kind to date.

– We have one focus area and only one: to support the green transition via offshore wind, and this order is a great seal of approval of what we can do. Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind will provide more power than all 14 Danish offshore wind farms in operation today, which says everything about the size of the project and its green perspectives. It is safe to say that we have kicked down the door to the American market, says CEO of Bladt Industries, Anders Søe-Jensen.

Production of the transition pieces is expected to start in March 2023 and is expected to be completed in July 2025.

Believe in new appointments

A few weeks ago, Bladt Industries signed a contract with the energy company Vattenfall to deliver 21 transition pieces to Vesterhav Nord and 20 transition pieces to Vesterhav Syd to be built off the west coast of Jutland over the next coming years.

– All in all, this means, among other things, that our order book at our factory in Aalborg is filled until mid-2025. Initially, it secures employment for our 450 skilled employees in Aalborg over the next three and a half years, which is positive. At the same time, we sincerely believe that our high level of activity will also lead to new appointments, explains Anders Søe-Jensen, who adds:

– However, the recruitment of new employees requires qualified labour can be found. Here, we have a responsibility of our own. Therefore, we are currently sharpening our focus on education and expect to increase the number of apprentices in our factories in Denmark from 15 to 45 over time.

From Aalborg to the USA

Since 1989, the world-leading company has been headquartered at the Port of Aalborg where the company today has both administration facilities, production, and warehouse halls as well as large outdoor assembly spaces. The facilities are owned by Port of Aalborg and thus part of the port’s growing business park.

Aalborg is also the location of the production of the 176 transition pieces to Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. According to Anders Søe-Jensen, the location in Aalborg fits perfectly with the realization of the record order.

– Our facilities at Port of Aalborg with direct access to the world’s oceans via our own quay facilities give us fantastic conditions for growth. The dimensions of the transition pieces, as the case with wind turbine blades, mean that it is absolutely crucial to allow for direct discharging from the factory, says Anders Søe-Jensen and continues:

– At the same time, the port’s entire business area has undergone an exciting development in recent years, meaning we have several of our close business partners as neighbors, providing productive synergy in our everyday work.

Bladt Industries’ transition pieces measure a whopping 30 metres in height and almost 8 metres in diameter, weighing between 540 and 570 tonnes.

About Bladt Industries

Bladt Industries was established back in 1965 under the name Enbom and Bladt A/S and is today among the world’s largest companies in offshore wind. Over the past 25 years, the company has delivered more than 2,500 offshore wind turbine foundations, equivalent to more than a third of all the world’s offshore wind turbines. Bladt Industries has also supplied a significant number of offshore transformer stations. Read more about Bladt Industries as the foundation of the green transition: www.bladt.com.