Cover Picture: Steel Construction 3/2013

AbstractIn the future, a long‐established steel company from Saarland will produce foundation elements (MegaMonoPiles) in Nordenham for wind farms in the North Sea. A total of around €175 million is being invested in the construction of the plant at Blexer Groden/Nordenham, which is expected to begin fabrication in January 2014 and will employ up to 300 people. After achieving full capacity in 2017, Steelwind Nordenham GmbH should produce 100 monopiles and transition pieces per year. These foundation structures for offshore wind power plants, made from thick‐walled structural tubulars, feature diameters of up to 10 meters and lengths of up to 100 meters, and can weigh up to 1,500 tons (see pp. 178–185). (Source: Steelwind Nordenham GmbH)