Wind turbine reported to have collapsed in Northern Ireland during severe storm

What happened

A wind turbine is reported to have collapsed in Northern Ireland during a period of high winds and wintry weather that affected much of the region. The available reporting consists of a headline and a photograph caption describing the collapsed turbine, and no further operational details were published. The site name, operator, owner and turbine type are not reported, and it is not clear whether the turbine was part of a commercial wind farm or a smaller standalone installation. No information was published on injuries, evacuation or the cause of the structural failure.

Contributing factors

High winds and severe wintry weather were reported across Northern Ireland at the time. No engineering cause has been confirmed and no investigation findings have been reported.

Lessons learned

1. A wind turbine collapse in high winds requires operators to review structural design for sites exposed to severe winter weather.
2. After a turbine collapse with no published cause, operators should confirm investigation findings before returning similar units to service.

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

Not yet known

• Site name and operator
• Turbine model and age
• Cause of the collapse
• Cost of the damage

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

Source

belfasttelegraph.co.uk