The turbine was located at the 112MW Echo Wind Park in Michigan and was undergoing a reliability test at the time of the break. The first turbines came online at the project last month.
A blade snapping into three and fell to the base of the turbine. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident, but DTE has shut down the operating turbines and halted work on those being constructed.
This is the second time a blade from the same model has broken on a DTE wind farm in Michigan. In March, a blade snapped off a GE 1.6-100 turbine on the Thumb Wind Park as a result of what DTE called a "manufacturing defect".
At the time of the last incident, DTE told the Huron Daily Tribune that since it was the first incident of its kind, confidence in the GE machines "remains high".
DTE and GE are working together to investigate the cause of this latest break, and will only restart the turbines once it has been determined. The developer said that its intention to have the wind farm fully operational by the end of November is now unrealistic.
Speaking to the Huron County View, DTE said that it suspects that the blade was not cured properly during the manufacturing process.
In October, the first 15 turbines at the Echo wind farm started generating power. There are still 10 of the 70 GE turbines to be installed at the site.
