January 23, 2014
England

Technical fault hits turbines

Hartlepool Mail | 23 January 2014 | www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk

A windfarm off Hartlepool is out of action due to a technical issue.

The Teesside Offshore Windfarm, which can be seen off the coast of Seaton Carew, will not be operating for the foreseeable future while its owner, EDF Energy Renewables, investigates.

The blades of most of the 27 turbines have not been working for over a week, and several members of the public have contacted the Mail about the lack of turbine activity.

Today, a spokesman for EDF Energy Renewables said the company has temporarily shut down the wind farm while it carries out a “technical investigation” on its turbines.

The firm says its has taken the decision to allow engineers to carry out investigations on housings for equipment located inside the base of the turbine towers.

The work does not involve the turbines’ foundations or main structures.

Teesside Offshore Wind plant manager Mark Halliday said: “The safety of our people is our highest priority.

“These investigations will be easier and safer carried out under shutdown conditions.

“We are working with the turbine manufacturer, Siemens, to investigate in full and hope to return the windfarm to service as soon as is safely possible.”

The spokesman also confirmed that the windfarm had generated five per cent above its energy target since August.

Paul Thompson, independent councillor for Seaton Carew, said: “The wind turbines are a great idea but research will tell you that they are prone to technical difficulties.

“I hope the issue is nothing too serious and the turbines start generating electricity again in the very near future.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/01/23/technical-fault-hits-turbines/