Vestas pauses about 150 turbines after blade root insert fault
2020Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- 72MW Aldermyrberget project in Sweden
- Manufacturer
- Vestas
- What
- V150-4.2MW turbine collapsed after blade detached
- Cause
- Bonding failure on blade root inserts from manufacturing contamination
- Outcome
- Around 150 similar V150 units paused worldwide
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Vestas
What happened
Vestas took around 150 V150-4.0/4.2/4.3 MW (Mk3E) turbines out of operation globally after finding a bonding failure on certain blade root inserts, which it attributed to contamination of inserts during a manufacturing process step at one supplier. The fault was confirmed in the investigation of a V150-4.2 MW turbine that collapsed at the 72 MW Aldermyrberget project in Sweden in November, after a blade came loose. Vestas said turbines with a different blade root insert configuration were unaffected.
It also reported that a blade with the same inserts fell in Finland during de-installation in the week before this January 2021 report, not during operation or idling, and that it did not regard that fall as directly related.
Contributing factors
Vestas said the detached blade had a bonding failure on blade root inserts caused by contamination of the inserts during a manufacturing process step at one supplier. The same insert configuration was present on the turbines paused as a precaution. No other contributing factors are reported.
Lessons learned
- After a root-insert failure, check every turbine that shares the same insert configuration, not only the unit that failed.
- Treat matching component configurations as higher risk until the manufacturer clears them.
- A precautionary shutdown can limit further damage while repair or replacement is arranged.
More lessons on design, standards and commissioning, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Cost of the damage and repairs
- Downtime for the paused turbines
- Age and service hours of the collapsed turbine
- Number of turbines returned to service
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Site page: Aldermyrberget wind farm (status, dates and other incidents)
Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
