Amid reports of wind turbine blades flying off and a resulting flurry of damage control measures, engineering powerhouse Siemens said Monday the chief of its wind power division would step down, two weeks after announcing costs related to incidents in California and Iowa.
In a news release, Siemens said Felix Ferlemann, 53, was leaving “by mutual agreement to pursue new career challenges.”
Markus Tacke, who had been serving as chief executive of the industrial power business unit within Siemens’ energy division, will replace Ferlemann, who became chief executive in October 2011.
“Felix Ferlemann provided essential stimuli, and we thank him for his commitment,” Michael Süß, chief executive of the company’s energy sector, said in a statement.
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Siemens, based in Munich, said it would take unspecified charges for the quarter that ended Sunday after taking measures to slow rotation speeds or stop 707 wind turbines in the U.S. The move came after blade breaks were reported in California and in Iowa, most recently in May at an Imperial County wind farm. A massive blade came loose at the Ocotillo Express Wind project and landed nearby. No one was injured in the late-night incident.
