Siemens investigates turbine collapse

DENMARK: The nacelle and rotor blades of a 13-year-old 2.3MW Bonus turbine at the Samso offshore project in Denmark broke from the tower and fell into the sea on 28 November.

The Samso offshore wind farm comprises ten 2.3MW Bonus turbines

Siemens, which took over Bonus in 2004 and is responsible for the maintenance of the turbines at the 23MW project, commissioned in 2002-03, is investigating the cause of the unit's sudden collapse.

"As a precautionary measure, the customer initially decided to take the remaining nine turbines out of operation until physical inspections could be conducted," said a Siemens spokesperson.

"These units have now been inspected and found to be acceptable for normal operations," he added.

Soren Hermansen, a shareholder in the project, which is partly owned by private investors, told the Copenhagen Post there had been no warning signs of the machine's failure.

"Just ten minutes before the turbine snapped, it was operating normally," he said.