MHI Vestas Finds Cause for Turbine Fire in Prototype

After the fire, an extensive investigation was initiated by an independent auditor. Now it turned out that the fire on the test site of Vestas in Østerild, Denmark, was caused by a faulty component that had already been damaged during installation within the converter module of the prototype.

This is a standard industrial component that has been added to the prototype exclusively as part of the applied upgrade to 9.5 MW. This means that none of the MHI Vestas plants currently in operation or under construction are at risk.

Torben Larsen, Chief Technology Officer of MHI Vestas, said: “The incident on August 4 occurred as a result of testing that was directly related to the turbine’s future upgrade to 9.5 MW. While unfortunate, the situation was handled safely and professionally by our technicians on site.”