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Victoria wind farm shut down after turbine collapse
Credit: Giles Parkinson · Feb 4, 2025 · reneweconomy.com.au ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
The Berrybank wind project in Victoria has been shut down after an incident which appears to show the collapse of one of its turbines.
The project, west of Geelong, features a total of 69 Vestas V136-4.2MW wind turbines, built over two stages and amounting to a total of 290 megawatts. The turbine blades have a tip height of 186 metres.
The incident occurred at the Berrybank 1 component that was brought into operation in 2021. The second stage started production in 2023. The facility is owned by Global Power Generation, part of the Spanish-based Naturgy energy group.
Photos distributed by a Victoria-based anti-wind farm organisation and also published on the local Lismore and District Rural Fire Brigade page appeared to show the nacelle and blades of a turbine lying on the ground.
“Expensive damage from last nights storm at Berrybank wind farm!” the fire brigade noted on its Facebook page.
A spokesperson for Vestas said the company was aware of the incident, which occurred at around 2am in the morning on Tuesday. The wind farm was shut down later in the morning.
“There were no reported people near the wind turbine at the time of the incident and no reported injuries,” the Vestas spokesperson said in an email sent to Renew Economy. They said WorkSafe Victoria has been notified and a full investigation is underway into the cause.
“As a precaution, the project’s remaining wind turbines have been temporarily paused and the site is safely secured.
“Vestas and Global Power Generation’s primary focus is the safety and well-being of all site personnel, as well as ensuring that the overall safety of the site is maintained.“
Last November, in the same region of Victoria, a 36-year-old worker was killed when he was crushed by a 22-tonne blade that had been laid on a stand.
The incident at the Golden Plains wind project, which will be the biggest in Australia when complete, involved a Vestas V162 turbine that was under construction at the site. The incident caused a temporary stop to construction at several projects in Australia.
In September, small blade parts fell from turbines at the 756 megawatt (MW) stage one ‘East’ section of the project.
In Canada late last year, operations at a wind project in Alberta were halted after the nacelle of a 4.5MW Vestas machine crashed to the ground, according to reports. The nacelle and rotor fell to the ground on 8 November while the V150-4.5MW wind turbine was being installed at the Halkirk 2 wind farm.
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Tag: Accidents |