GE turbine collapses at NextEra wind farm in New Mexico

What happened

A wind turbine collapsed, toppling to the ground, at the Casa Mesa Wind Energy Center in New Mexico, United States, operated by NextEra Energy Resources. The turbine had been installed recently, according to the report. GE Renewable Energy, the turbine manufacturer, said it believed the collapse was an isolated incident and that its investigation was continuing. A photograph of the fallen turbine at the site was circulated publicly. The published report does not give the exact date of the collapse, the turbine model or rating, the cause of the failure, whether anyone was hurt, or the cost of damage. No further findings had been published at the time of the report.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The investigation into the collapse was continuing at the time of publication.

Lessons learned

1. Newly installed turbines should have structural checks of the tower, foundation and bolted connections completed before full operation and after any early-life alarms.
2. When a turbine collapses, operators and manufacturers should record and share investigation findings promptly with other owners of the same model.
3. A manufacturer's statement that a failure is an isolated incident should be tested against fleet data for the same turbine type before it is accepted.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Source

Recharge (rechargenews.com)