Damaged Part Cause of MHI Vestas Prototype Catching Fire

A component damaged during installation within the converter module of MHI Vestas V164 prototype in Østerild had led to the turbine catching fire on 4 August, the company informed, adding that this was a standard industry component with a solid track record.

MHI Vestas further said that the component was added solely as part of testing the prototype’s future upgrade to 9.5MW and that none of its turbines currently in operation or under construction are at risk. The company also stated that the prototype did satisfy the requirements for the 9.5MW type certificate prior to the incident, and that plans for building a new prototype are still being discussed.

Torben Larsen, MHI Vestas Chief Technology Officer, said: “Since August 4, we have been in frequent communication with our customers and have worked tirelessly to find the root cause and implement the right mitigation actions. We are confident that all procedures and processes in relation to this have been thoroughly and properly updated.”

The turbine caught fire in the evening of 4 August, when the local fire fighters allowed the fire to burn itself out as the available equipment could not reach the flames at the height of 140 metres. No one was injured in the incident, and MHI Vestas started an investigation immediately after taking down the prototype on 15 August.

The investigation to determine the root cause of the incident was conducted by an independent investigator.