Fire Puts Greater Changhua 4 Offshore Wind Turbine Out of Service

Illustration (Credit: Ørsted)

One turbine at Ørsted’s Greater Changhua 4 wind farm in Taiwan has been put out of service after its system detected an abnormal condition, later determined to be a fire that was promptly extinguished by the wind farm team.

On 8 August, a wind turbine at the 920 MW Greater Changhua 4 wind farm automatically tripped and ceased operation after its system detected an abnormal condition.

Following this, the wind farm team observed a fire on the turbine, and the fire was extinguished shortly after.

“We can confirm that no personnel were injured in the incident and all relevant authorities and key stakeholders have been notified,” Ørsted said in a statement.

According to the company, it will continue investigating the cause of the incident in close collaboration with its turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa, while monitoring the situation.

“An investigation plan and a subsequent repair plan have been developed. All actions will prioritize personnel and operational safety, with the utmost consideration given to ensuring no impact on the surrounding marine environment,” the company said.

The turbine remains shut down and isolated, while the rest of the wind farm continues to operate normally, and a safety exclusion zone has been established around the turbine as a precaution. 

The root cause of this incident remains subject to further investigation.

“We continue to follow statutory reporting requirement and remain in close dialogue with the competent authorities and key stakeholders on the progress. Before the facts are fully confirmed, we urge all parties to avoid speculating on the cause or potential impact of the incident to ensure the accuracy of relevant information,” Ørsted said.