At Aneo, we are committed to conducting our projects in harmony with the community around us. We aim to operate in an open and honest manner, and we take pride in our contributions to the energy transition and value creation. This commitment persists even when unforeseen events occur. That's why we have created this page so everyone can see what has happened, what actions we have taken, and what our plan is moving forward. The latest updates will appear at the top.
Update March 27:
Update from Sørmarkfjellet Wind Farm
– Investigations Underway and Operations Gradually Restarting
For the second time this winter, we experienced a blade failure at Sørmarkfjellet. The first incident was linked to a series of unfortunate events including exceptionally severe weather, issues with power connection to the park, and downtime. Although the final cause of the blade failure in January has not been fully determined, it was reasonable to think it was related to the storm.
Now that it has happened to two turbine blades on another turbine in the park, without particularly challenging weather conditions, we chose to close the entire area and halt production pending further information and investigations.
After thorough risk assessments and consultations with internal and external experts, the wind farm is being restarted gradually, and a comprehensive inspection process will be carried out on all the blades at Sørmarkfjellet. Technicians will conduct manual inspections of each turbine blade. If deviations are found that raise concerns, further investigations will be conducted.
Photo from a similar manual inspection of turbine blades at Roan Wind Farm
Technical investigations, phased restarting, and planning for cleanup are now happening in parallel. A safety zone of 500 meters around the turbines being restarted has been established, and the 250-meter safety zone around turbines with blade damage is maintained. Therefore, the park remains closed to the public and employees, except for the carefully planned inspections.
Update from March 17:
On the afternoon of Saturday, March 15, several alarms were triggered in our monitoring systems at Sørmarkfjellet Wind Farm. A visual inspection confirmed that a turbine blade had sustained severe damage, with parts falling off. On Sunday, additional damage was discovered on another blade of the same turbine.
Since the incident was not caused by extreme weather or other clear warnings, we have decided to close the entire wind farm to both the public and employees. Power production is also temporarily halted until we have clarified the cause of the incident.
This involves a different turbine than the one we reported about in January. As seen in the photo, parts of the turbine blade have fallen off, but there remains a risk that more pieces could detach and fall. Therefore, we have closed the wind farm and urge everyone to keep a safe distance.
We are working to identify the cause of this incident and will update this page with more information as it becomes available.
On January 17, there was a severe storm in Trøndelag, particularly at Sørmarkfjellet, which resulted in a power loss to the substation in the area. The consequence of the power outage in the area was that we could not control the turbines and adjust them to the strong winds.
Afterward, we discovered that two turbines had significant blade scratches on one blade each. One of these is the one we discuss on this page, where parts have fallen off. The other turbine is at a standstill pending further evaluation and mapping.
It is too early to conclude the cause of the failure. There was severe weather and strong winds - there was also a power outage and systems that did not work as they should. At the same time, the weather was not of such a nature that it should have led to major damage or failure; the turbine blades are designed to withstand this. Now work is underway to understand the cause(s) and event sequence, which involves working with suppliers to clearly understand why the turbine blades couldn't withstand a stress they are built to endure.
During the storm and through the weekend, the wind farm was closed to access, and a 500-meter safety zone was established around the turbine with the damaged blade. This includes visitors, suppliers, and Aneo's own employees. Exceptions are only made for technicians entering the safety zone with special permission and pre-assessments of wind and weather.
On Monday morning, January 20, parts of one of the blades fell off. On Monday, February 3, another large part of the same turbine blade fell off. We have, with the aid of drones and technicians, assessed both the damage to the turbine and the consequences in the surrounding area. The following findings have been made:
There is no leakage of chemicals, oil, coolant, etc., into nature.
The first part of the turbine blade broke into several pieces and landed around the turbine and on the slope down to Krokvatnet. Some blade pieces were also observed in the water (more info below).
The second part of the turbine blade that fell on February 3 fell near the turbine in larger pieces.
Alert and Emergency Response
As part of the emergency response and standard procedures for this type of incident, we notified NVE and the municipality. Additionally, local and regional media were alerted for safety reasons and due to the risk of additional pieces falling, with a clear request not to enter the area. NRK, Adresseavisen, Namdalsavisa, and Flatangernytt reported on this on Monday, and it was picked up by others throughout the day. The mayors of Flatanger and Osen municipality were also informed with the same information as the media.
Krokvatnet and Drinking Water Source
Krokvatnet is connected to the drinking water source for some households and a camp school in the area. To ensure that the blade fragments in Krokvatnet do not release harmful substances or negatively impact the environment, we conducted a thorough analysis of the turbine blade material content together with the supplier.
Our risk assessments, conducted with the turbine supplier, give no reason to believe there are residual chemical compounds in the materials used in the turbine blade. It only consists of hardened material. Therefore, there is no reason to fear any form of contamination of the drinking water.
We have also taken several water samples from Krokvatnet. These are being analyzed for bisphenol A, oil, and coolant. Note that there are no indications of any form of liquid leakage from the damaged turbine.
The turbine blade fragments in Krokvatnet are within the safety zone and cannot be removed until personal safety is assessed to be within acceptable criteria. We have laid out a boom at the mouth of Krokvatnet to ensure that no pieces from the turbine blade drift downstream and to ensure that we carry out the cleanup work as thoroughly as possible.
A minor oil leak (< 1 liter) has been observed from another turbine at Sørmarkfjellet, mainly as an oil film on the turbine tower. The turbine is outside the watershed for drinking water. The amount and location mean that there is no suspicion of oil having leaked into the watershed; we have also been physically present to inspect the area.
Facts About Turbine Blades
A turbine blade at Sørmarkfjellet is 57.5 meters long and weighs approximately 14 tons.
Learning and Improvement Work
We are still in the handling phase right now. When we transition to a normal phase, it will be investigated according to our internal guidelines. Based on the investigation, permanent measures will be implemented to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents happening again, if deemed necessary. Beyond this, we have already assessed and initiated specific technical measures to reduce the risk of similar future occurrences.
The Road Ahead
Aneo will conduct inspections to assess when we can allow employees to enter the area to perform necessary work. As soon as possible, the cleanup work will be mapped and initiated. It will be an extensive task, but one we intend to carry out effectively.
