Dutch steel manufacturer Sif Holding NV has officially opened its expanded monopile production facility at Maasvlakte 2 in the Port of Rotterdam, boosting its capacity to meet growing demand from offshore wind developers across Europe and beyond.
The €328 million project adds 60,000 square metres to the existing 40,000 square metre site and transforms the plant into a fully integrated, robotised production line for monopiles with diameters up to 11 metres and lengths up to 120 metres. The factory now has a theoretical annual production capacity of around 200 monopiles.
The inauguration was marked by a ceremony attended by Sophie Hermans, the Netherlands’ Minister for Climate Policy and Green Growth.
“At Sif’s Maasvlakte factory, we see the energy transition actually taking place,” Hermans said.
Sif CEO Fred van Beers said the new facility allows the company to serve the latest generation of offshore wind projects with enhanced manufacturing capabilities and logistical advantages.
“The opening of the expanded location in Rotterdam is an important next step that enables Sif to supply the next generation monopile foundations with diameters up to 11 meters,” van Beers said. “The proximity of the location to most European offshore wind developments and the 24/7 accessibility of the quay facilities for installation vessels serve our customers in optimizing their installation campaigns with state-of-the-art foundations.”
Initial projects for the expanded facility include the Empire Wind 1 project off the United States and the Ecowende project in the Netherlands. Sif has already completed more than 30 of the 54 monopiles required for Empire Wind 1, along with all primary steel for the associated transition pieces. Production for Ecowende’s 52 TP-less monopile foundations is expected to begin shortly.
Additional projects in the pipeline include monopile and transition piece fabrication for the Baltyk 2 & 3 wind farms in Poland and monopile production for the Oranjewind project in the Netherlands.
Frank Kevenaar, Chief Operating Officer at Sif, credited the project’s timely and on-budget delivery to a tightly coordinated process among design, construction, and equipment teams.
“Key to the successful realization of the project was the integrated process approach with the design-team, the construction team and suppliers of core equipment,” Kevenaar said. “It was an operation that was set up and executed with military precision.”
The expanded facility positions Sif to meet increasing demand for larger, more complex monopiles driven by the offshore wind sector’s shift toward deeper waters and larger turbines.
