Wind turbine fire on Tararua Range prompts investigation

What happened

A wind turbine at Tararua Wind Farm 3 on the Tararua Range caught fire on a Wednesday afternoon in October 2021. The fire was visible from Palmerston North and Feilding. Owner Mercury was alerted by on-site contractor and operator Vestas, who said nobody was in danger. Fire and Emergency dispatched three trucks, a water tanker and a helicopter. Five connected turbines were taken out of service and could be offline for several weeks. The cause was not established and an incident investigation was started. No injuries were reported.

Lessons learned

1. On-site operators must alert owners at once when a turbine fire starts, so that emergency services receive early notice and can respond before the fire spreads.
2. Turbines linked by the same circuit should be isolated quickly after a fire, to limit lost generation while the damaged unit is assessed.
3. A turbine fire visible from towns several kilometres away shows that early remote isolation and a debris zone are essential, as ground crews cannot reach hub height.

More lessons on spacing, layout and fire spread, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Turbine model and age
• Exact cause of the fire
• Cost of repairs and lost output

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

Source

stuff.co.nz