The images are impressive. A wind turbine fire broke out this Thursday morning on a departmental road near Derval (Loire-Atlantique), local media report. A large plume of black smoke could be seen from a distance. The wind farm was therefore shut down.
14 firefighters intervened around 8 a.m. on the Statkraft Renewables electricity production park. They set up a 200 m security perimeter. “Due to the impact of the flames and the strong gusts of wind, one or more blades threaten to fall,” the fire column leader explained to Actu.
Never seen that before. In Derval, between #Nantes and #Rennes, the motor of a wind turbine caught fire. Incandescent debris regularly falls from the top of the mast. @LeTelegramme pic.twitter.com/8TkuCwOGGM
— Philippe Créhange (@pcrehange) March 28, 2024
The fire and rescue services intervened on the site and brought the outbreaks under control, mainly located at the level of the nacelle and the base of the turbine around 10 a.m.,” indicates the European renewable energy producer Statkraft. Renewables, specifying in its press release that “the wind farm has been shut down”.
The park operator quickly went to the scene of the fire to see the extent of the damage. The blade of the charred wind turbine broke in two and fell to the ground, reports Courrier Picard. A technical meeting should take place soon. The company also indicates that it has contacted potentially impacted landowners and farmers “in order to minimize the consequences and coordinate the necessary measures”.
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Although this type of incident remains extremely rare in France, it is the second to occur in just a few days in similar circumstances. Last Friday, a wind turbine caught fire along the A29 motorway near Amiens, in the Somme.