Offshore wind turbine catches fire off east coast of Britain

LONDON — An offshore upwind turbine successful the North Sea caught occurrence Tuesday, with each unit evacuated and accounted for.

The turbine is portion of the Scroby Sands Offshore Wind Farm, which has a capableness of 60 megawatts.

Situated connected a sandbank disconnected the municipality of Great Yarmouth successful England, the installation has 30 turbines and was commissioned successful 2004. It is owned and operated by RWE Offshore Wind.

In a connection sent to CNBC Tuesday, a Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson said: "HM Coastguard has been monitoring a upwind turbine connected occurrence astatine the Scroby Sands Wind Farm contiguous … disconnected the seashore of Great Yarmouth."

"The alarm was raised astatine astir 10.50am and each unit moving astatine the tract person been evacuated by the operating institution and are accounted for," the spokesperson added.

The turbine astatine Scroby Sands is nary longer alight, and determination was nary request for hunt and rescue units to beryllium deployed. It is not unheard of for upwind turbines to drawback fire, and a fig of akin incidents person been reported successful the past fewer years.

The U.K. is simply a large subordinate successful offshore wind, and location to a fig of large-scale projects including the fully operational Hornsea 2 and the nether operation Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

According to researchers astatine Imperial College London, upwind turbines provided 32.4% of Britain's electricity successful the archetypal 3 months of the year.

CNBC contacted RWE connected Tuesday day but had not received a effect up of this story's publication. The BBC's study connected the fire contained a connection from an RWE spokesperson, which said: "An incidental occurred which led to a occurrence successful the turbine nacelle — the enclosure astatine the apical of the operation which houses the generating components."

"Emergency services were contacted instantly and the Coastguard made aware. They are monitoring the country and advising connected a imaginable 500 metre regularisation portion being enforced astir the affected turbine."

"We would inquire radical to support distant from the country arsenic assessments are ongoing."