80m turbine collapses at Byeolparang Park Wind Farm in Yeongdeok

On 2 February 2026, an 80 metre wind turbine at the Byeolparang Park wind farm (Changpo Wind Power Complex) in Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea collapsed, with the tower and blades falling across an internal road. Wind speeds at the time were only 5 to 7 metres per second, gusting to 12 metres per second, well below the turbine's 20 metres per second design wind speed. The turbine, Unit 21, manufactured by Vestas, had operated since May 2005 and had recently passed a safety inspection. Investigators reviewing footage concluded that a rotating blade tore apart, unbalancing the rotor and causing it to strike and buckle the tower. No injuries occurred because the site's visitor centre was closed at the time, and a passing vehicle narrowly avoided the falling debris. The road was closed indefinitely while the cause is investigated.

The turbine had been in service for over 20 years, near or beyond the typical service life attributed to turbine blades; investigators are focusing on why a carbon fibre blade tore during rotation, causing rotor imbalance and tower failure, though the root cause has not been confirmed.

1. Turbines approaching or exceeding their design service life, particularly blades nearing the end of typical 20 year lifespans, may warrant more detailed structural and material fatigue testing beyond routine visual inspection.
2. Structural failure can occur at wind speeds well below design limits, indicating that ageing components can fail through fatigue rather than overload, which should be factored into risk assessments for older assets.
3. Where public roads run through or near wind farm sites, operators should maintain clear incident response and access restriction procedures in case of structural failure.

chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/02/02/TXRSXEBMPNHDDDMKVLIKHQCJ5A