Nordex rotor blade breaks at Bedburg A44n wind farm, Germany
Jan 2026Published 12 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
Get the next one by email
Free alerts on wind (onshore) incidents in Germany, and an email when EIR-2242 is updated. No account needed; unsubscribe in one click.
Get a free sample brief Three complete verified records and the incidents-per-GW table, by email within a minute.
By signing up you agree to the privacy policy.
Companies named in this entry: Nordex
What happened
On the morning of Wednesday 7 January 2026, a rotor blade on a Nordex wind turbine at the Bedburg A44n wind farm, beside the A44 motorway at the Jackerath interchange near the Garzweiler lignite mine in North Rhine-Westphalia, broke and hung at a dangerous angle from the tower. Snowfall reduced visibility. Police closed the A44 at about 10:30 because heavy debris could fall onto the carriageway. The fire service set a safety zone of about 400 metres, since falling parts can drift in the wind.
Removing the blade by crane was not possible in the conditions and would have required personnel close to the hazard. In the late afternoon, Nordex technicians connected remotely to the turbine control systems and turned the nacelle through 180 degrees, so the damaged blade no longer pointed at the motorway. The road reopened at about 17:00. The blade remained in an unstable position, and Nordex still needed a plan to dismantle it safely. The turbine was expected to stay out of service until the cause was established. No injuries were reported.
Contributing factors
The cause had not been confirmed when the source was published. Nordex set up a task force. The source lists possible structural failure, material defects, installation errors or turbulence at the edge of the open-cast mine. Ground conditions and possible settlement at the mine edge are also being examined. The source reports no evidence of external interference or sabotage. RWE had not yet accepted or taken over the turbine.
Lessons learned
- Remote yaw control can turn a turbine with a damaged blade so that debris is directed away from a road or public area, an option that may be available when a crane recovery is not possible in bad weather.
- Operators should set safety exclusion zones that account for wind drift of falling debris, not only the vertical drop line.
- Turbines sited at open-cast mine edges or other unusual terrain may warrant site-specific checks of ground stability and turbulence before handover.
More lessons on weather and external hazards, from every incident on the register.
Source
Published 2026-10-12. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
