Wind farm oil leaks in Simo required months of cleanup
Friday 28th August 2026 on 08:45 in
Finland
Three oil incidents have occurred this year at the Leipiö wind farm in Simo, northern Finland, Yle reports. One turbine leaked about 100 litres of oil on two occasions, with some of it reaching the ground.
The incidents occurred at turbines in the Sarvisuo area owned by Gigawatti Oy, part of the S Group. The turbines began producing electricity in 2022.
Simo produces more wind power than any other Finnish municipality, but no oil leaks had previously been reported there. Anni Mikkonen, chief executive of Suomen uusiutuvat, an association promoting wind power, described the incident as rare but said faults and damage to machinery and equipment can sometimes occur.
According to Simo Technical Director Juho Kurunlahti, the leaked oil was gearbox oil that escaped through a broken seal. Oil reached the outside of the equipment, the turbine structure and the soil, and oil stains were seen at the bases of the turbines.
Gigawatti removed the oil using absorbent materials and transported away contaminated soil. Soil samples were taken from the affected area and were found to be clean. The damaged seals were repaired, and the turbines were taken out of service during the repairs.
Gigawatti Chief Executive Maija Henell said the cleanup and restoration took several months. The leaks were detected in late winter, but the area was not fully cleaned and restored until summer.
An initial cleanup and oil containment operation began immediately, Henell said. After the snow melted, oil was found to have reached the soil. The company then followed a remediation plan, replaced the affected soil and took new samples from the cleaned areas. The results showed that the cleanup had been successful.
Gigawatti has also installed sensors to alert the company to possible future leaks. Henell said the company had not previously experienced oil leak problems.
Simo’s technical committee reviewed the matter at its meeting on Thursday and concluded that the follow-up work had been completed satisfactorily.