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A wind turbine is blown up in Haltern. The 240 meter high facility has the same construction defects as its sister facility, which collapsed in 2021.
After the accident of a 240 meter high wind turbine in Haltern am See in September 2021, one thing is now certain: there is nothing left to save on the identical system a few hundred meters away. It has to be blown up completely – for safety reasons.
Preparations for the demolition have already been made, Nordex announced on Thursday when asked. In the vicinity of the wind turbine, trees have been cleared for a “fall bed” so that the debris can be completely recovered, Nordex said.
Wind turbine accident in Haltern: Second plant is blown up
Construction and construction defects had led to the 164 meter high tower of the wind turbine suddenly collapsing at a height of around 40 meters on September 29, 2021. It was a hybrid construction – the lower part made of concrete elements, the upper part made of steel. There were no injuries. The facility should have been officially opened just one day later with numerous guests on site.
Also read:Wind turbine collapse from holders: concrete tower had errors
A total of 22 identical N149/4.X turbines, which according to Nordex were built exclusively in Germany, were immediately shut down after the accident, six of them in the RWE Jüchen A44n wind farm in the Rhine district of Neuss. They too have since been demolished. At least one of the wind turbines was also blown up there, according to a Nordex report.
Danger of collapse – partial dismantling is too dangerous
Most recently, at the end of March, the wind farm in Beckum was blasted, reported Nordex: For safety reasons, it was not possible to dismantle and preserve the turbine, hub, nacelle and rotor blades there either, manufacturer Nordex announced. According to Nordex, the same procedure must be followed in Haltern, a spokesman said on Thursday when asked.
The weak point of the wind turbines, each with 4.5 megawatts currently the most powerful on the market, was the tower, as Nordex announced a year after the accident in Haltern. Reports and several independent experts had confirmed this, Nordes announced in October 2022.
New wind turbine should be in Haltern this year
According to information from the specialist publication Energie & Management last October, 18 of the affected wind turbines have already been replaced by new ones. One of them is in Haltern at the site of the collapsed wind turbine. The tower of the system, now from a different manufacturer, is 164 meters high like its predecessor, the total height with rotor blades is 240 meters.
The second wind turbine is also to be replaced promptly – “this year”, said a Nordex spokesman on request on Thursday. “As soon as the foundation surface has been restored to its original condition, construction of the new foundation for the new plant can begin.”
Nordex does not say anything about the costs: “Insurance and liability law issues are still being clarified. Irrespective of this, Nordex has already secured the financial risks of the accident with provisions for 2021 and 2022.”
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