Renewable Energy – Turbine Installation – Hub-Locking Pins

Market Reform Contract (Open Market) Guidance - new version 2.0

The LMA’s Renewable Energy Sub-Committee (RESC) was formed in 2017 to represent and promote the interests of the writers of worldwide open-market renewable energy business within the London market, including promoting the highest technical standards in the open-market renewable energy sector.

Additionally, RESC is tasked with providing advice and recommendations on issues which affect the sector. To that end, RESC has, for a number of months, been discussing technical and insurance issues associated with onshore wind turbine installations globally, particularly those related to hub locking pins. Sub-Committee members have reviewed the issues with engineers and have produced the following guidance:

“The hub locking pins are a critical link in the safety chain when performing turbine erection and maintenance tasks, including blade bolt tensioning, or when operators are required to enter the turbine hub. The three pins when engaged provide a positive lock and are designed to prevent the rotor from turning.

It is essential that before the rotor is put back into operation, allowed to turn or the turning gear is put into operation, the operator ensures that all three pins have been safely, verifiably and fully disengaged. Allowing the rotor to turn or engaging and operating the rotor turning gear when a pin is engaged or partially engaged can cause catastrophic damage to the rotor, drive train, nacelle and potentially other components.

A number of instances within the industry have been recorded recently, where turbines have suffered significant damage resulting from rotors pins partially engaged during turning gear operations.”

The repetitious nature of the issue described has led to a material number of events triggering insurance coverage, and an increasingly commonly held position that rapid and evidenced remediation is required.

Please note that underwriters and their engineers are available to discuss any concerns or questions you, your insured or the insured’s local project team may have regarding turbine installation.

Patrick Davison
Deputy Director of Underwriting