Wind turbine collapses in unknown circumstances in Oklahoma

The wind farm Frontier II, in Oklahoma, reported the collapse of a turbine on a calm day, under unknown circumstances. The farm, which has been operating since March 2021 and was installed in 2020, consists of 74 Nordex’s N149/4.XMW turbines, with a power generation capacity of 4 megawatts each.

Each machine has a rotor diameter of 149.1 meters, and depending on the site, the hub height can be up to 164 meters. Nordex, the manufacturer, confirmed the collapse in a mail statement, highlighting that only material damage was reported. 

The situation was, according to official reports to local media, “bizarre”, as it occurred on a calm day without strong winds. For this reason, the company confirmed that a team of Nordex USA and Nordex Group has been created to investigate the root causes of the incident “in close collaboration with the customer,” Deriva Energy.

Despite the causes still being unknown, the farm operator confirmed to journalists that the site is secure and the plant is operating normally.

“All employees are safe and accounted for, and the site is secure. The plant remains safe and operational.  An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the collapse,” stated a Deriva spokesperson.