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Wind (offshore)DenmarkEIR-0792

Turbine rotor and blades detach and fall into sea at Anholt wind farm

Apr 2022Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MajorMechanical400 MW
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
turbine out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hiddenThe maker is named in 11 other entries (being named is not a finding of fault)
Where
Anholt offshore wind farm off Denmark
Operator
Orsted
What
Rotor and three blades separated from nacelle and fell into sea
Cause
Not reported
Outcome
Failure concluded isolated event; restrictions lifted

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Orsted, Siemens Gamesa

What happened

The rotor and all three blades separated from the nacelle of a Siemens Gamesa 3.6 MW wind turbine at the Anholt offshore wind farm off Denmark and fell into the sea. Following the incident, the operator, Orsted, requested precautionary no-sail zones around wind farms in three European countries that use the same turbine model, while it investigated whether the failure indicated a wider fleet issue. After reviewing fleet performance data and carrying out drone inspections of the affected turbine, Orsted concluded the failure was an isolated event rather than a systemic problem, and subsequently lifted the maritime traffic restrictions at its affected sites.

Contributing factors

The source does not report a specific technical cause for the separation of the rotor and blades; Orsted's investigation only concluded that the event was not indicative of a systemic issue across its fleet of Siemens Gamesa 3.6 MW to 4 MW turbines.

Lessons learned

  1. Rotor detachment on a Siemens Gamesa offshore turbine requires early fleet data review and drone inspections to decide if no-sail zones can be lifted.
  2. Precautionary no-sail zones around the same turbine model in multiple countries must be based on confirmed risk, not assumed fleet-wide failure.

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

Not yet known

  • Specific technical cause of rotor separation
  • Turbine age and maintenance history
  • Duration of no-sail zones and lost generation

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

Source

offshoreWIND.biz (offshorewind.biz)

Site page: Anholt (status, dates and other incidents)

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 (offshore) incidents by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Wind (offshore) incidents in Denmark: 3 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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