US Forged Rings (USFR) has unveiled plans to invest $700 million to construct a state-of-the-art tower fabrication facility and a steel forging plant that would serve the U.S. offshore wind industry.
The U.S.-based company will use these two facilities to fill a critical supply chain gap for offshore wind components in the U.S. and alleviate bottlenecks for a market with goals of deploying 30 GW by 2030 and 110 GW by 2050.
According to USFR, it is in final stages of evaluating East Coast locations and expects to announce a decision soon.
“All potential sites are strategically positioned with access to required waterways, rail, and utilities, providing significant logistical benefits and making it competitive to supply large components,” said Slavko Zurovac, USFR’s Managing Director.
USFR has formed strategic supply chain partnerships with Nucor, North America’s largest steel producer and recycler, providing sustainable steel for offshore wind tower construction, and Ellwood Quality Steels, North America’s leading ingot caster, for the project.
Once all permits and regulatory approvals are secured, construction of the facilities is expected to take 16-20 months, with first towers beginning production in the first quarter 2026.
Once operational, the tower fabrication facility will produce 100 fully coated towers annually, that include internally produced flanges, which is expected to result in elimination of potential delays and logistics issues, lowering the overall cost.
The facility is designed from its inception to be expandable up to 200 towers annually, depending on demand, USFR said.
The new steel forging facility will produce large flanges up to 40 feet in diameter, making it the largest ring rolling facility in North America and Europe. The facility will also produce forged components required in other heavy industries including nuclear energy, construction, shipping, and mining.
According to USFR, the two facilities will create more than 500 U.S. full time employment positions. The facilities will also limit carbon footprint by utilizing 77% recycled content, making it a fraction of the global average.
“These facilities will enable U.S. developers and OEMs to have predictable costs and a reliable supply of vital components. Equally important, the investment will result in direct environmental benefits including the reduction of significant pollution emitted by otherwise shipping these huge components from overseas,” said Giacomo Sozzi, President of USFR.