"Giant blades from windfarm blow off and scatter in field sparking fears for residents" | By Norman Silvester, 31 DEC 2023 | dailyrecord.co.uk
The giant blades of a 34-metre wind turbine broke off and flew through the air during Storm Gerritt.
Dramatic footage of the incident also revealed large parts of the fibreglass structure were left embedded in the ground due to the force of winds during Storm Gerrit in Galston, Ayrshire.
The damage was caused a few miles from a residential area and has led to calls for a stricter safety crackdown on turbines close to homes and businesses. A resident rang the police who alerted the fire service.
He said: “I heard an unusual noise caused by the blades going faster than normal in the winds. They then began to separate from the main tower, break into pieces and scatter in different directions. It was like watching a car take a bend at high speed knowing it is going to crash.
“If any of the blades had landed on someone, they would’ve been left in a very bad way.”
Wind turbine blades should not turn in high winds but footage showed the top of the structure sparking before going on fire and three blades then flying off.
The turbine – six miles south of Auchenclough – is owned by Surrey firm Constantine Wind Energy, who have launched an investigation.
A number of their turbines are on land owned by William Campbell, of nearby Low Holehouse Farm. He said there had been no threat to local people or livestock, adding: “It was in the middle of a field far away from any residences.”
More than 50 locals had raised planning objections to the turbines, saying they were too close to homes, and also noisy.
Campaign group Scotland Against Spin has called for a minimum safe distance between new developments and homes.
Spokeswoman Aileen Jackson said too many now encroach in to residential areas and added all future incidents should be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Jackson said: “By far the biggest number of incidents involving turbines are due to blade failure. This results in either whole blades or pieces of blade being thrown from the turbine. We believe there should be a minimum distance of at least two miles between turbines and occupied housing or workplaces.”
Local MSP Brian Whittle of the Scottish Conservatives said: “Any wind turbine being built in Scotland should be capable of dealing with high winds, especially these smaller turbines which can often be nearer homes.
“This incident will obviously have been very concerning for those living nearby and I hope a full investigation will be carried out to explain how and why this turbine failed so spectacularly.”
Constantine Wind Energy said: “We are aware of the incident during the storm last Wednesday and are in the process of investigating to establish the cause.”
A HSE spokesperson said: “We are aware of this incident and are making initial inquiries.”
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2023/12/31/giant-turbine-blades-scattered-by-storms-leads-to-safety-calls-from-locals/