Application

Ballast for offshore wind turbines

Keep your offshore wind turbine constructions floating or ballasted to the seabed using heavyweight MagnaDense natural minerals.

floating offshore wind turbines

Wind power structures offshore

The increasing use of offshore wind power generators around the world has shown a growing need for heavy weight to ballast the renewable energy turbines. LKAB Minerals supplies high density MagnaDense to offshore wind power projects, which, depending on the wind turbine foundation design can be used either as loose ballast or mixed into concrete. Our MagnaDense, manufactured from the mineral Magnetite, reaches densities up to 5.2 t/m3.

Wind turbine foundations stay put with heavy weight concrete

Wind turbine constructions require secure concrete foundations that are unaffected by undersea currents and lifetime abrasion. By nature, these offshore foundations need to have a considerable weight in order to withstand the motions of the sea and the stresses imposed by the windmills rotating blades.

This is where the MagnaDense aggregate, manufactured from natural iron ore, fits in your wind power project. Due to its high density and the favourable conditions under water, the product range of MagnaDense is a perfect fit for your wind power foundation offshore.

Watch the offshore video below, which explains the origin of our high density natural mineral in detail, the logistic routes and the services we can provide to your offshore wind power project.

Fluidised Ballast Floating Offshore
HyWind video

MagnaDense balances floating wind farms

For both gravity base wind structures or floating windmills, MagnaDense either as ballast or filled concrete is utilised. Foundations are designed with MagnaDense when more density is required than would be achievable from conventional aggregates and concrete. Our unique product for ballasting the foundations of these floating wind turbine units offers stability and long underwater lifetime.

LKAB Minerals has supplied MagnaDense to the first commercial floating wind farm, Hywind, offshore the Scottish coast which was finished end 2017. We have a detailed Case Study available upon request.

Logistics and availability for world-wide wind power projects

Wherever your offshore wind power project will be based, LKAB Minerals will help you to find the best logistic solution for the MagnaDense supply. Mined from group-owned resources in Kiruna or Malmberget in Northern Sweden, the iron oxide aggregate is taken to the harbour of Luleå (Sweden) or Narvik (Norway). Here it is stored in silos or transported to strategic stock locations. We also supply offshore wind power projects directly to the customers’ required location on sea.

Contact our Sales Managers for a quotation, specification or a sample.