The turbine that fell into the sea off on the Paludans Flak offshore wind farm had a fracture in the welding connecting the tower top flange with the tower, an investigation has found.
The incident involving the 2.3MW Siemens unit was evaluated by the company and found that the fracture had developed over time, “ultimately leading to a separation of the tower top flange with the rest of the tower”.
Siemens said the welding at the time of installation was made according to the industry welding standards in 2002, although rhe industry welding standards have subsequently changed.
“The specific welding geometry in the Samsø turbine has only been used by a single tower supplier,” Siemens said.
“This specific tower configuration is limited to 14 turbines only and the relevant customers have been informed. The remaining turbines have all been inspected and no cracks were found and they are all operating normally,” it added.
There is no evidence that the Samso incident is related to a generic design or production defect.
The 2.3MW Siemens turbine lost its blades and nacelle, which collapsed into the water on 28 November.
Image: the Paludans Flak wind farm (Paludans Flak Havvind)
