Nordex turbine collapses at Herkentrup wind farm in Germany

Oct 2025Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MajorMechanical13.5 MW

Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?

turbine out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate

From the recordRoot cause Failed part The maker is named in 12 other entries (being named is not a finding of fault)

Where: Herkentrup wind farm, Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia
What: Upper tower segment of N149/4.X turbine fell with nacelle, hub and blades
Injuries: None reported
Cause: Under investigation

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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Nordex

What happened

On 27 October the upper tower segment of an N149/4.X turbine at the 13.5MW Herkentrup wind farm in Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, fell to the ground together with the nacelle, hub and blades. The damage was found in the morning. All necessary safety measures were put in place at once. Material damage occurred but no one was injured. Nordex and the customer have started an investigation into the cause.

Lessons learned

Upper tower segment failure on an N149/4.X turbine led to total collapse, so operators should inspect tower sections on identical units without delay.
Damage discovered in the morning after a tower collapse requires immediate safety measures to protect site access.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Root cause of the tower failure
Turbine age and service history
Cost of repairs and lost generation
Duration until the site returns to service

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

Source

reNEWS (renews.biz)

Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Chart to reuse with this story: Wind (onshore) incidents in Germany, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

The record behind this entry

The record behind EIR-0740 holds the site, the operator, the owner, the manufacturer, the capacity, the root cause and what failed as fields you can filter, count and export, with its source and their verification status. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Site: ••••••••••••
Operator: •••••••••
Owner: •••••••••
Manufacturer: ••••••••
Capacity: •••••
Root cause: ••••••••••••••••
Failed part: •••••••
Sources: ••••••••

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Wind (onshore) incidents in Germany: 24 entries, with a free alert for the next one.

Wind turbine fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: wind turbine blade failures and wind turbine nacelle fires.

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