Nordex says tower weak points caused a German wind turbine collapse

2021Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

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

Where: Germany
Manufacturer: Nordex
What: Wind turbine collapsed in September 2021
Cause: Weaknesses in the concrete-steel hybrid tower

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

What happened

Nordex said a wind turbine collapsed in Germany in September 2021. In a statement reported in September 2022, the manufacturer said the collapse was caused by weaknesses in the concrete-steel hybrid tower, and that the cause lay with that structure rather than the N149 machine. The available report does not give the site, capacity, injuries or other consequences.

Contributing factors

Nordex attributed the collapse to weak points in the concrete-steel hybrid tower. No independent account of the investigation is in the available report.

Lessons learned

Operators should check hybrid concrete-steel towers separately from the turbine machine after a collapse.
Treat the manufacturer's stated cause as a lead to check until an independent investigation is available.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, investigation and fleet-wide checks, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

Site of the turbine
Capacity of the turbine
Injuries or other consequences

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Source

Recharge (rechargenews.com)

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-0787 holds the manufacturer, the root cause and what failed as fields you can filter, count and export, with its 2 sources and their verification status. The cause is not hidden: the contributing factors above give it as the sources report it. The record adds it as a field. Companies are named in the roles the sources give them. Being named is not a finding of fault.

Manufacturer: ••••••••
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 collapses.

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