Duro Felguera bets heavily on El Musel. Asturian engineering has already formalized its request for a public concession on the north quay of the expansion of the Port of Gijón. The vocation of the company is to build on the current esplanade – which is mainly used to store solid bulk – a series of permanent infrastructures for the manufacture of foundations for the offshore wind market, as well as the alternative expansion of the storage area for manufactured equipment. They are not the only ones bidding for the space, the Zima group also aspires to obtain the land to develop a very similar activity. Moncobra would also be interested, although the sources consulted believe that the option that the Cobra Group ends up keeping the expansion of El Musel for the wind farms has been fading.
The Duro Felguera plan in El Musel, as indicated by the company through a statement, would be structured in two phases. The first, with facilities for operational activities and storage in the 120,000 square meters with current classification of auxiliary use, will entail an estimated investment of 66 million euros.
The second, which provides for the expansion of the facilities with an XXL Monopile manufacturing line, would be developed on the new land that will undergo substantial modification and would increase the investment to 115 million euros. The overall project will require a total of 380,000 square meters. This activity, they estimate from engineering, will have an impact on regional employment, with peaks of up to 800 direct workers and the creation of between 3 and 4 indirect jobs for each direct one in its first phase.
The concession requested by Duro Felguera, which is currently looking for an investment partner, would allow, if granted, the company to position itself at a crucial moment in the market for the manufacture of these large components of the offshore wind industry that, foreseeably, will experience exponential growth in the next decade.
Duro Felguera would have access, from the strategic location of the Port of Gijón, to the important markets of northern Europe and the east coast of the United States, in addition to the domestic market on the coast of the Iberian Peninsula. In Asturias, currently, Avilesina Windar (Daniel Alonso Group) is specialized in this matter. From Duro they point out that, a priori, they are not looking for collaborations to develop their wind turbine manufacturing project.
the phases
Competition Procedure. Duro Felguera has requested the concession of 120,000 square meters within the Procedure opened by the Port Authority. There are others interested in it, such as Zima and Moncobra. Before being able to take any step, the Asturian engineering has to end up taking over the land of El Musel within said administrative process.
Phase one: 66 million and 120,000 meters. If Duro Felguera wins the race for the north dock of El Musel, it intends to invest 66 million to build all the necessary infrastructure to carry out operational activities and storage of foundations for the wind farms.
Phase two: 115 million and 380,000 meters. The idea, in the future, is to increase investment and space. Hard wants to reach 115 million and triple the floor. The company’s plan, then, is to have a monopile manufacturing line in Musel itself.