Storm-damaged turbine at NSW Central West wind farm raises safety concerns 

Safety concerns have been raised over turbines at a wind farm in the New South Wales Central West after a blade snapped in half during a storm.

More than a dozen turbines at the Flyers Creek Wind Farm have been switched off after one was damaged due to strong winds.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the owners of the facility, Iberdrola Australia, said the tower’s blade initially suffered damage during a storm in June.

However, they said, after a loss of electric power and strong winds earlier this month, the turbine suffered further damage.

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The spokesperson said a series of scheduled and unscheduled inspections at the wind farm regularly occurred.

“These inspections cover a wide range of components from the blades and nacelle to the tower and foundation,” they said. “We do not have any concerns regarding the blades on the other wind turbines.”

The wind turbines are located on a livestock property, however, an exclusion zone is in place to protect animals and farm workers.
Wind farm safety concerns

The wind farm became fully operational in April and houses 38 turbines.

Professor of structural engineering at Monash University, Amin Heidarpour, said it was “surprising” to see a blade snap so soon.

“Normally, a wind turbine blade has a life span of about 20 to 25 years,” he said. “Failure of a blade just six months after installation is a big shock.”

Professor Heidarpour said turbines were designed to withstand winds in excess of 100 kilometres per hour, but typically had automatic shutdown systems when speeds reached 90 kph.

The failure at the Flyers Creek Wind Farm came after a similar incident occurred in western Victoria earlier this year during which a tower collapsed in strong winds.

Professor Heidarpour said while people “shouldn’t be concerned” about the safety of wind farms, there has been an increase in blade failure in recent years.

“We should start to do a proper study to better understand what is the main cause behind the failure of these blades,” he said.
Calls for safety review

The leader of the NSW National Party, Dugald Saunders, said while damage of this nature did not happen all that frequently, it highlighted growing concerns among communities hosting the infrastructure.

“There is some concern if a blade can snap during a storm,” he said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure said the risk of turbine damage “was considered during the assessment” of the project.

“Due to the setback distances of the turbine locations from residences and the road, the risk to the public from this incident is considered negligible,” the spokesperson said.

Mr Saunders said the current safety assessments that were carried out for approved wind farm projects lacked transparency and a “safety audit” should be done to raise confidence among residents.

“The idea of not really knowing what safety assessments are in place … that is where there needs to be some genuine improvement to assure the community.

“Otherwise, it will always feel like it is being done behind closed doors with a veil of silence.”

The spokesperson for Iberdrola said a replacement blade had been ordered and they were working to determine an “appropriate return to service plan”.