German wind turbine tower collapse attributed by Nordex to hybrid tower weaknesses

A wind turbine collapsed in Germany in September 2021. Manufacturer Nordex reported in September 2022 that its investigation found the collapse was caused by weaknesses in the concrete-steel hybrid tower, and not by the N149 turbine itself. The available reporting does not name the site or its location within Germany, and gives no incident date, injury or damage details. This entry is provisional and will be updated if fuller reporting appears.

Reported as structural weak points in the concrete-steel hybrid tower, according to the manufacturer's investigation. No independent confirmation of the cause is available in the source.

1. The supporting tower is a safety critical element in its own right, and hybrid concrete-steel designs warrant rigorous engineering review and quality assurance during manufacture and erection.
2. Root cause work should separate turbine component failure from supporting structure failure, because the remedial actions differ.
3. Owners with similar hybrid tower types should seek manufacturer assurance on structural integrity checks and inspection regimes across their fleet.

rechargenews.com/wind/tower-weak-points-to-blame-for-german-wind-turbine-...