September 29, 2017
Michigan

Turbine blade breaks near Lewisville

Brenda Battel,Tribune Staff Writer | Huron Daily Tribune | Friday, September 29, 2017 | www.michigansthumb.com

HURON TOWNSHIP – A wind turbine blade near Lewisville broke in the Deerfield Wind Energy Project near the intersection of Kinde and Huron City Roads.

“The site’s contained and Vestas is on site,” said Jeff Smith, Huron County Building and Zoning director Thursday.

Vestas is the turbine manufacturer.

An official with the Deerfield wind park and a Vestas employee in Bad Axe both refused comment Thursday afternoon.

Adam Greene, site supervisor for Deerfield, suggested that the Tribune reach out to Vestas.

“I have no idea what’s going on at this time,” he said.

The turbines are owned by Algonquin Power, of Ontario, Canada, and they were built by Vestas.

Two blades in separate turbines similarly broke last October.

The two blades broke in half and dangled from their towers near the intersection of Redman and Iseler roads in Bloomfield Township.

Lack of adhesive was discovered to be the problem, according to officials from Algonquin and Vestas, who spoke at a Huron County Planning Commission meeting earlier this year.

Fifty blades in the 72-turbine park shared the flaw.

The blade on turbine No. 51 broke, Smith said.

It was not immediately apparent whether this was the flaw that caused Thursday’s broken blade.

When the Tribune called Vestas’ Bad Axe number, the woman who answered deferred to officials at the Portland, Oregon site and would not give her full name or comment.

Vestas officials in Portland did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment on when and why the blade broke, nor did a spokesperson for Algonquin.

Operations officials contacted Smith Thursday morning to report the issue.

Huron Township, however, is self-zoned, and not under county jurisdiction.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2017/09/29/turbine-blade-breaks-near-lewisville/