Second Siemens Gamesa blade breaks off turbine at Swedish wind farm
Incident involving SG 5.8-170 machine sees most turbines on wind farm shut down
A second Siemens Gamesa 5.X blade in a matter of months has broken off a turbine at a Swedish onshore wind farm, resulting in 51 further turbines being shut down at the site.
The blade on the SG 5.8-170 turbine broke at the 372MW Bjornberget wind farm in the north of Sweden.
The break was discovered on 7 January and the wind farm’s operator RES Group confirmed it has since shut down 51 of the 60 turbines at the site. The other nine have been kept online as they feature blades from a different manufacturer.
"An investigation has been launched, and we will be thoroughly analysing its results," said a spokesperson. "We are working to resolve this situation as soon as possible. We remain committed to maintaining transparency and ensuring the safety of our operations."
“We are investigating the cause of this incident and are in constant communication with our customers, suppliers and local authorities to ensure safety for technicians and the public.”
The incident comes hot on the heels of another blade break at the same site in November, an investigation for which reportedly remains ongoing.
The Bjornberget wind farm is owned by German asset manager Prime Capital and Israeli power producer Enlight.
Siemens Gamesa was thrown into crisis in 2023 when serial defects emerged in its 4.X and 5.X platforms, with the largest portion of the technical problems concerning the rotor blades and main bearings.