Bremen, 27 October 2023 - In the evening of 26 October 2023 at the Alfstedt-Ebersdorf wind park in Lower Saxony, Germany, another rotor blade on the same wind turbine snapped off during work to bring down the still hanging components of the rotor blade that had been damaged on 14/15 October 2023. The wind turbine in question was not in operation at the time of the incident. No personal injury occurred.
As the operator of the wind turbine, Energiekontor had requested a statement on the incident from the manufacturer of the wind turbine, GE Wind Energy GmbH. This has meanwhile been made available.
According to the requested statement, the second rotor blade most likely snapped off as a result of the first incident. The last rotor blade affected has shown signs of damage from the previous incident. The statement provided by the manufacturer has since been confirmed by another independent expert.
The wind park is currently not in operation. The affected wind turbine is still cordoned off for safety reasons. The removal of the fallen debris from the first damaged rotor blade is being continued around the cordoned-off area. Work is also continuing on the controlled removal of the rotor blade components that are still hanging down1.
As a renewable energy company, Energiekontor makes a contribution to an independent, affordable and climate-friendly energy supply in Germany - today and in the future. Energiekontor deeply regrets the damage that has once again been caused and shares the disappointment and anger that has arisen locally.
Energiekontor is aware of its responsibility and will continue to do everything in its power to remedy the damage caused in the best possible and sustainable way for the benefit of those affected and the environment, while also holding the manufacturer, GE Wind Energy GmbH, to account.
Kind regards,
Energiekontor AG
Mary-Somerville-Strasse 5
28359 Bremen
Germany
www.energiekontor.de
1The rotor is moved several times between the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock blade positions and the rotor blade components that are still hanging down are dropped as far as possible by so-called pitch movements (rotation of the blade around its own axis). This work can naturally result in localised noise development that is not related to the stability or functionality of the remaining wind turbines in the wind park. It should also be noted that this work can only be carried out at low wind speeds for safety reasons.