October 23, 2021
England

Councillor condemns wind farm owner

Barnsley Chronicle | 20/10/21 | www.barnsleychronicle.com

The owner of a wind turbine which was damaged during a storm more than five months ago has been criticised for ‘not caring’ about its smaller wind farms.

Repair work to one of three turbines near Grimethorpe – which had one of its blades sheered off – still has not been carried out by EDF.

As it fell, the blade appeared to cause damage to the structure of the turbine – resulting in a dent on the side of the machinery.

Debris remained scattered around the field below, and the footpath around the site is still closed to the public.

After months of campaigning, Coun Kevin Osborne received a letter stating that the repairs would be ‘carried out by the end of August’.

“It seems that work has stalled at the site,” said Coun Osborne. “The debris has been removed but that seems to be it.

“EDF made assurances to me that the work would be completed more than a month ago, yet it seems we have been forgotten.

“It seems as though EDF don’t care – it’s true we don’t have a big wind farm, but surely if something is broken it needs fixing.

“In my opinion, it’s not a good advert for renewable energy.

“One-third of a wind farm has been broken for five months and EDF seem content to let it lie.

“This wouldn’t happen in London or in more profitable areas, but the turbine could still pose a risk to the public if more debris falls from it.

“I want to know the reason for the delay and why it has taken them so long to attempt to make the repairs – it’s getting ridiculous now.”

A spokesperson for EDF said ‘months of preparatory works with a team of specialists conducting surveys, scoping, ground works and integrity checks’ are now complete.

They added: “We are sorry that the turbine at Park Springs has failed and caused local residents concern.

“Since the event in March, we have been carrying out a detailed and thorough investigation with our partners into the causes and we appreciate everyone’s continued patience whilst these conclude.

“Central to our approach from the very start is public safety and to ensure that this situation does not happen again.

“Even with the restrictions brought about by the pandemic at the start, we have been working with our partners at Barnsley Council, with local businesses and the Health and Safety Executive to progress a safe, timely and effective resolution.

“I am pleased to report that we are in the process of finalising the work plan to dismantle the turbine as soon as possible, while meeting our regulatory obligations and ensuring the safety of the teams undertaking work.

“We want to thank everyone involved, including our local partners, in working with us to put public safety first and to ensure this situation is rectified as quickly as possible.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2021/10/23/councillor-condemns-wind-farm-owner/