Wind turbine collapses and catches fire at Colorado wind farm

What happened

A wind turbine at an older NextEra Energy wind farm near Peetz, Logan County, Colorado, collapsed and caught fire. Firefighters from Peetz and Crook responded to the site between 8 and 9 a.m. after reports that the tower had come down. A local emergency manager said the information received at the scene was that the tower collapsed first and then caught fire. NextEra personnel reportedly attended the site but did not provide public information on the cause.

This was the second turbine collapse in the county in the 20 years wind turbines have operated there, following a June 2022 collapse near Fleming caused by a cracked blade striking the tower, though that earlier incident did not result in a fire.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The article notes the operator did not release information on the cause of the collapse or fire.

Lessons learned

1. A wind turbine tower that collapses can catch fire afterwards, so operators must plan for post-collapse fire risks with local responders.
2. Older wind farms can suffer repeat tower collapses, so operators should review inspection regimes after each event in the same county.

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

Not yet known

• Cause of the collapse and fire
• Turbine model and age
• Cost of the damage

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

Source

firerescue1.com