Blade section detaches at Humber Gateway offshore wind farm

What happened

In late December, a section of one turbine blade at Humber Gateway offshore wind farm, off the East Yorkshire coast, detached and fell into the sea. A Notice to Mariners issued on 8 January said the section, about 20 metres long, was unaccounted for and likely adrift or submerged. Drift analysis indicated that it had likely drifted offshore in a westerly direction, and no further deterioration of the blade itself was expected.

The turbine was shut down, authorities were alerted, and no one was injured or in the area. The section had not been retrieved and the cause was still under investigation. RWE said a blade replacement campaign was planned and that the affected turbine would be replaced when a component and a jack-up were available.

Contributing factors

The cause was still under investigation and has not been reported.

Lessons learned

1. Issue a notice to mariners promptly when a blade section from an offshore turbine enters the sea and remains unaccounted for.
2. Keep the affected turbine shut down and continue to monitor the site while debris may still be adrift or submerged.
3. Plan component and vessel availability for blade replacement while the cause is still being investigated.

Source

offshoreWIND.biz (offshorewind.biz)