August 12, 2017
Vermont

Turbine blades, components headed to Deerfield Wind

By Ed Damon | Bennington Banner | August 11, 2017 | www.benningtonbanner.com

SEARSBURG – Trucks carrying massive wind turbine parts are traveling through the area en route to the Deerfield Wind construction site in Searsburg and Readsboro.

Blades, hubs, towers and other components are being delivered to the 15-turbine, 2.0 megawatt electricity generating project. Developer Avangrid Renewables hopes to bring the facility online by late 2017.

Paul Copleman, spokesman for the developer, said this week that the project includes seven Gemesa G87 turbines on the east ridge and eight G97 turbines on the west ridge.

The Spanish wind turbine manufacturer named the units to reflect the width of their rotors (87 and 97 meters, respectively) which are connected to a shaft that turns a generator.

Three turbine blades were spotted Wednesday, being hauled on three separate tractor-trailer units that were parked at the weight station and pull-off area on the Bennington Bypass (Route 279).

Each G87 blade is about 144 feet long and weighs 21,213 pounds, Copelman said. Each G97 blade is about 160 feet long and weighs about 24,560 pounds.

Copleman said the developer is taking delivery of both types of blades and it wasn’t clear which blades were being delivered on Tuesday.

Each turbine will sit on towers 78 meters, or 255 feet, in height. Each turbine will generate 2.0 mw, or 30 mw in total, which the company says will produce enough electricity for about 14,000 average Vermont households.

Ground was broken last September, close to 10 years after the regulatory process began. The project is being built on about 80 acres of Green Mountain National Forest land, the first project in a national forest.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/08/12/turbine-blades-components-headed-to-deerfield-wind/