Suzlon turbine destroyed and two damaged at Amayo II wind farm, Rivas
Dec 2014Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Amayo II wind farm, Rivas, Nicaragua
- Owner
- AEI Energy
- Manufacturer
- Suzlon
- What
- Three S88 turbines malfunctioned in high winds; one collapsed, one lost all blades, one had broken blade
- Injuries
- None reported
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): AEI Energy, Suzlon
What happened
Three Suzlon S88 2.1MW turbines at the Amayo II plant, part of the 63MW Amayo wind complex owned by AEI Energy in Rivas municipality, Nicaragua, malfunctioned in high winds in the early hours of a Sunday morning, about an hour after a power blackout hit the surrounding municipality. Local press, citing ground staff and firefighters, reported that the emergency braking systems on all three machines failed, leaving them unable to control rotor speed in strong gusts.
One turbine's nacelle caught fire and later collapsed to the ground. A second turbine lost all three blades, which were flung off, and a third suffered a broken blade. No injuries were reported and the site was secured afterwards. The turbine manufacturer confirmed the incident but declined to comment on the cause pending investigation. No other turbines at the wider complex were affected.
Contributing factors
Local press reports, citing ground staff and firefighters, attributed the failures to a malfunction of the emergency braking systems on the affected turbines during high wind gusts, occurring shortly after a local power blackout. The turbine manufacturer had not confirmed a cause at the time of reporting.
Lessons learned
- Emergency braking systems on Suzlon S88 turbines must remain effective after a grid blackout, as loss of control in high winds can destroy the machine.
- A nacelle fire at hub height on a Suzlon turbine cannot be fought from the ground, so plans must rely on early detection and remote isolation.
- Multi-turbine overspeed events at the same site require immediate securing to protect nearby assets and allow root cause work.
More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Exact cause of braking system failure
- Age and service history of the three turbines
- Duration of site downtime and repair cost
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Site page: Amayo wind farm (status, dates and other incidents)
Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
