Siemens Gamesa turbine collapses at Arizona wind farm in Brazil
Jan 2022Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Arizona wind project, Rio do Fogo, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- Manufacturer
- Siemens Gamesa
- What
- Wind turbine collapsed, including third section
- 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): Siemens Gamesa
What happened
On Sunday 30 January 2022 a Siemens Gamesa wind turbine collapsed at the 49.3MW Arizona onshore wind project in Rio do Fogo, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The collapse included the turbine's third section. Siemens Gamesa said the customer was notified immediately and that no injuries were incurred. A safety zone was established around the collapsed turbine and the manufacturer launched a full investigation to determine the root cause. No further details on the cause, extent of damage to surrounding infrastructure, or repair timeline were disclosed at the time of reporting.
Contributing factors
Not reported. The root cause was under investigation at the time of the report.
Lessons learned
- A turbine collapse at an onshore wind farm requires an immediate safety exclusion zone to protect staff and the public during investigation.
- Structural failure of a turbine section needs prompt manufacturer notification and root cause analysis to prevent repeats.
- Collapse incidents without injuries still warrant full disclosure to support industry learning on turbine reliability.
More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Root cause of the collapse
- Turbine model and age
- Extent of damage to infrastructure
- Repair timeline and downtime
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
