EnBW halts certain He Dreiht activities after Vestas V236 blade detaches on 22 July

EnBW has suspended certain construction and commissioning activities at its 960 MW He Dreiht offshore wind farm in the German North Sea after a blade detached from one of the site's Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines on 22 July 2026^[1]. The company's CEO confirmed that work has been partially halted, though "basic commissioning" of the site continues^[1].

What happened

The blade failure was detected on 22 July. An EnBW spokesperson confirmed there were no injuries and that the relevant authorities were notified "immediately."

Authorities were notified on 24 July about a broken rotor blade floating between EnBW's Hohe See and He Dreiht offshore wind farms after recovery attempts by on-site work vessels proved unsuccessful. A patrol vessel was dispatched to secure the 20-metre-long blade section, which posed a significant hazard to navigation as it was drifting just below the water surface, making it difficult to detect.

The patrol vessel located the blade and used a launch to secure a line and tow it. Because of its length, the crew cut the blade into sections before pulling it fully aboard. The sections were unloaded in Cuxhaven on 26 July.

Vestas investigation

EnBW said the impact on the affected turbine is being assessed together with Vestas, and that the exact cause of the blade failure is under investigation. "Safety is our top priority," the spokesperson said. Vestas confirmed it has "initiated a root cause investigation of the incident and activities to contain environmental impact."

The V236-15.0 MW is Vestas's flagship offshore platform. He Dreiht is the commercial debut site for the 15 MW machine, with the first unit installed there in April 2025.

Project status

He Dreiht is a significant project for EnBW by any measure:

• 960 MW total capacity across 64 Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbines
• Located approximately 85 km northwest of Borkum in the German North Sea
• Total investment of approximately €2.4 billion
• Built without state subsidy - EnBW bid zero cents per kilowatt-hour in the original tender
• EnBW holds 50.1%; a consortium of Allianz Capital Partners, AIP Management and Norges Bank Investment Management holds 49.9%

At the start of 2026, EnBW reported that half of the turbines were in place. By the first quarter of 2026, published in May, the developer said 45 wind turbines had been installed. Installation was reported to be around 70% complete as of June.

The wind farm achieved first power in November 2025. EnBW had said it aimed to commission the project during the summer of 2026.

What to watch

The scope of the activity pause - and whether it extends to the remaining turbine installations - will determine how much the blade failure slips the summer commissioning target. Vestas has not indicated a timeline for its root cause findings, and until the investigation concludes, the question of whether the failure is specific to one unit or indicative of a broader issue with the V236 platform will remain open. He Dreiht is the first large-scale deployment of the 15 MW machine, so the outcome carries weight beyond this single project.