Turbine tower collapses at Halkirk 2 wind project during commissioning

What happened

Tower 33 at the Halkirk 2 wind project near Castor, Alberta, fell to the ground on 8 November 2024. The recently constructed field was being brought online and was introducing power to Alberta's grid. The incident caused a complete loss of the tower and a suspension order for the entire field. Capital Power later said site cleanup was complete, with components cut into transportable sections or dismantled and taken away for recycling or disposal. Commissioning resumed in the week of 24 November 2025, and by 25 November the project was again supplying power to the grid.

Contributing factors

An investigation by the turbine manufacturer, who is not named, and an independent third party found that contactors used out-of-tolerance tooling to tension the tower-to-nacelle structural bolts.

Lessons learned

1. Check that tools used to tension structural bolts are within tolerance before tower and nacelle assembly.
2. After a structural failure during commissioning, complete both a manufacturer review and an independent review before returning the site to service.
3. Plan how large turbine components will be cut, moved, recycled or disposed of after a collapse.

Source

reddeeradvocate.com