Nacelle fire at Rhede wind farm prompts Enercon investigation
Oct 2018Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Rhede wind farm, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Manufacturer
- Enercon
- What
- Fire broke out in nacelle of E-66 turbine
- 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): Enercon
What happened
On 12 October 2018 a fire broke out in the nacelle of an Enercon E-66 turbine at the 42MW Rhede wind farm in Lower Saxony, Germany. The affected turbine, rated at 1.8MW, had been operational since 2001. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident. Enercon, which services all turbines at the Rhede project, confirmed it was investigating the cause of the fire. At the time of reporting, the cause remained unknown and the investigation was ongoing. No further details were provided regarding the extent of damage to the turbine or the wider wind farm, nor on any operational impact to the remaining turbines at the site.
Contributing factors
Not reported. The cause of the fire had not been determined at the time of publication.
Lessons learned
- An E-66 nacelle fire needs early detection and remote isolation because ground access is limited once flames start.
- Operators should check service records on turbines from 2001 after a fire occurred in a unit of that age.
- Insurers should expect ongoing manufacturer investigation when the cause of a nacelle fire is still unknown.
More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Extent of damage to the turbine
- Operational impact on the wind farm
- Duration of any downtime
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Site page: Rhede wind farm (status, dates and other incidents)
Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
