Mabey Bridge wins contract for wind turbine towers in Wales

20 January 2012

UK wind-turbine tower manufacturer Mabey Bridge has secured a multi-million-pound order with Nordex to manufacture and supply 35 towers, between 65 and 70m in length.

Production of the 120-tonne tubular steel structures will start in mid-February, with Mabey Bridge introducing 24-hours-per day working for the first time at its £38m dedicated wind-turbine tower manufacturing facility.

Around 170 staff will be working on the contract and the company has taken on 45 new staff — in addition to 50 transferred from its bridge-building operation — to meet demand.

Fourteen of the towers will be installed at the Pant-Y-Wal site near Rhondda, South Wales, making it the first time turbine towers installed in Wales have been made by a Welsh manufacturer.

Once up and running, the turbines will generate up to 42MW of electricity — enough to power 25,000 homes.