Wind turbine collapses at Geumsungsan Wind Farm in Hwasun County, South Korea
Apr 2025Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Geumsungsan Wind Power Plant, Hwasun County, Jeonnam, South Korea
- What
- 4.7 MW wind turbine broke at middle of tower and collapsed
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Under investigation
- Outcome
- Units 8 to 11 under inspection, units 1 to 7 continued operation
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What happened
A 4.7 MW wind turbine at the Geumsungsan Wind Power Plant in Hwasun County, Jeonnam, South Korea, broke at the middle of its tower and collapsed at around 2:50am on 21 April 2025. The turbine was one of 11 units at the site and had been in commercial operation since June 2023. No casualties occurred because the collapse happened in a restricted access area. Following the collapse, turbines numbered 8 to 11 at the site were placed under safety inspection while units 1 to 7 continued normal operation. The local authority, Hwasun County, stated it planned to investigate the exact cause of the failure together with the turbine manufacturer and suppliers.
Contributing factors
Not reported. The cause of the tower breaking at the mid-section had not been determined at the time of reporting, and investigation with the manufacturer and suppliers was ongoing.
Lessons learned
- A wind turbine tower that breaks at mid-section can collapse suddenly, so operators should check all similar towers for structural integrity after one failure.
- After one turbine collapses at a multi-unit site, place other units of the same design under safety inspection before they resume operation.
- Root cause work on a tower failure must include the manufacturer and suppliers to find whether the defect is systemic.
More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Turbine model and serial number
- Cost of the damage and lost generation
- Duration of the safety inspections
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
