Ørsted’s Greater Changhua 4 Offshore Wind Farm Off Taiwan Reports Blade Damage
Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted says a blade was damaged on one of the turbines at its Greater Changhua 4 offshore wind farm in Taiwan. The company reported the incident on Friday and said it happened at around noon that day. No one was hurt.
What Ørsted has confirmed?
Ørsted said no personnel were working on the turbine when the blade was damaged, and no vessels were in the area at the time. Safety control measures have been put in place in the surrounding waters. The company also said the relevant central and local authorities and key stakeholders have been notified.
The cause has not been established. Ørsted is working with the turbine maker, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, to assess what happened. Siemens Gamesa will lead the investigation.
Who is responsible for the turbine
The turbine is under warranty, and the manufacturer currently operates Greater Changhua 4. That is why Siemens Gamesa, and not Ørsted alone, is leading the technical review.
A second incident in a few months
This is not the first problem at the site. A fire was reported at one of the project’s turbines in August. Ørsted has not said whether the turbine hit by the blade damage is the same one, so that link remains unclear.
The timing is notable. Ørsted recently announced that major construction works were complete for the 920 MW Greater Changhua 2b and 4 offshore wind farms. Incidents this soon after construction usually draw close attention from lenders, grid operators and regulators, even when no one is injured.
What Siemens Gamesa says?
A Siemens Gamesa spokesperson called the incident unusual. The spokesperson said blade failures of this kind are “highly unusual” across its offshore fleet. The company said no one was present at the turbine and that no one was harmed.
Siemens Gamesa said it is supporting Ørsted closely and will carry out a thorough technical analysis to find the root cause. It also said it would be premature to draw conclusions before that work is finished.
What this means?
At this stage, three facts are clear. A blade was damaged, nobody was hurt, and the investigation is only beginning. Anything beyond that, including the cause, the effect on output and any repair timeline, has not been announced.
What to watch next?
Three updates will matter most. The first is the outcome of Siemens Gamesa’s root-cause analysis. The second is whether the August fire and this incident are linked to the same turbine or the same fault. The third is whether Ørsted says anything about repairs or the project’s output.
