Fire at aging Taipower wind turbine prompts nationwide inspection order

What happened

A 70 metre high wind turbine operated by state utility Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) caught fire in Mailiao Township, Yunlin County, on a Sunday. The turbine had begun commercial operation in 2010 and had been in service for nearly 16 years at the time of the fire. Taipower said the fire is suspected to have been caused by overheated components, though the exact cause remained under investigation. The incident prompted the Taiwanese premier to order a nationwide inspection of all wind turbines older than 15 years and a review of high-altitude firefighting capabilities.

Taipower was instructed to inspect 76 turbines of the same type within one month, and the Energy Administration was given three months to propose improved maintenance and operational requirements.

Contributing factors

Suspected overheating of components in an ageing turbine that had operated for nearly 16 years; exact cause still under investigation at time of reporting.

Lessons learned

1. Operators of 70 metre wind turbines should fit thermal monitoring on nacelle components to detect overheating before fire starts.
2. Insurers should require checks on turbines after 15 years in service, as ageing fleets need targeted inspection.
3. Regulators must plan high-altitude firefighting for wind turbines before incidents occur.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Exact cause of the fire
• Turbine model and age details
• Cost of damage and downtime

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

Taipei Times (taipeitimes.com)