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Wind (onshore)CanadaEIR-0814

Faulty blade causes turbine collapse at Chatham-Kent wind farm

2018Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MajorMechanical
Reported damageFrom the sourceHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersReported figure
turbine out of service for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hidden
Where
Raleigh wind facility in Chatham-Kent, Ontario
Operator
TerraForm
What
wind turbine snapped in half and collapsed
Cause
single faulty blade
Outcome
halted all 70 turbines for nearly two months, cost $6 million

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): TerraForm

What happened

In January 2018, a wind turbine at the Raleigh wind facility in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, snapped in half and collapsed. The site operator, TerraForm, said the failure was caused by a single faulty blade. Following the collapse, the company halted operation of all 70 turbines at the facility for nearly two months to carry out safety inspections across the fleet. TerraForm's first quarter results stated the incident cost the company about $6 million in cash that would otherwise have been distributed to shareholders. The company said its subsequent investigation found no similar issues with the remaining turbines before returning the wind farm to service.

Contributing factors

A single faulty blade was identified by the operator as the cause of the turbine failure, prompting a precautionary fleet-wide inspection of all 70 turbines at the site.

Lessons learned

  1. A faulty blade on a wind turbine can cause collapse, so operators should check all blades at the site after one failure.
  2. One turbine collapse at a wind farm can force inspection of the full fleet, so owners should plan for two months of lost output.
  3. A single blade fault at a wind farm can cost millions in lost revenue, so insurers should model full site shutdowns in risk plans.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Turbine model and age
  • Exact nature of the blade fault
  • Time to return each turbine to service

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

Source

cbc.ca

Site page: Raleigh (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 (onshore) incidents in Canada, by year, free with a credit (PNG).

Wind (onshore) incidents in Canada: 23 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 collapses.

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