Turbine fire at Stemwede Bürgerwindpark in Germany
July 2023Published 28 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Nordex
What happened
A turbine at the Stemwede Bürgerwindpark in North Rhine-Westphalia caught fire early on Tuesday 4 July 2023. The local fire brigade said the operator had already tried to put the fire out and had shut the turbine down. Crews then secured the site and checked for embers so the fire did not spread to nearby fields. No one was hurt. The damaged machine was a Nordex N43 of 600 kW. The 6 MW farm was built in 1998 and was no longer serviced by Nordex.
Contributing factors
The farm's managing director told the reporter that a defective brake started the fire after the turbine had to be braked several times because of negative electricity prices, which he said the law required. He said these older machines were not built for repeated ramping, unlike larger pitch-controlled turbines. That account has not been independently confirmed. Nordex did not comment when approached.
Lessons learned
- Operators of older turbines should check whether braking systems can safely handle frequent stops required by negative prices or curtailment rules.
- Ageing turbines no longer serviced by the manufacturer need a clear maintenance plan for safety-critical parts such as brakes.
- Emergency plans should cover an operator's first attempt to shut down a burning turbine and fire crews securing the site against spread.
More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Other entries that name Bürgerwindpark
Published 2026-09-28. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
