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Wind Power News: Missouri
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission to provide information about industrial wind energy development to readers seeking such information. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the credited organizations or individuals and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
Wind turbine collapses in Schuyler County
A wind turbine at the High Prairie Renewable Energy Center collapsed Wednesday afternoon in a field along Schuyler County Route D, approximately four miles southeast of Lancaster. The incident occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. Ameren Missouri said crews responded to the site and secured the surrounding area. No injuries were reported. Jeff Moore, director of Renewables & CTG Operations for Ameren Missouri, said the company is conducting a comprehensive assessment to determine the cause. He said the High Prairie Renewable . . . Complete story »
Another wind turbine collapses in Schuyler County
A wind turbine in northeast Missouri fell over Wednesday afternoon. It happened just after 1:30 p.m. in a field along Schuyler County Route D, about four miles southeast of Lancaster. A viewer sent us photos of the collapsed turbine: We reached out to Ameren to learn more, and Jeff Moore, director of Renewables & CTG Operations for Ameren Missouri, responded with the following statement: “On Wednesday afternoon, Ameren Missouri responded to an incident with one of the turbines at the . . . Complete story »
Third wind turbine failure in North Fork Ridge Wind Farm, Barton County, Mo.
Three events have occurred separately over the past three years. About noon Friday locals tell us they heard a wind turbine collapse in the North Fork Ridge Wind Farm. November 2023: wind turbine struck by lightning on the west side of Highway 43 in North Fork Ridge Wind Farm. Two blades came off the turbine. January 2024: massive collapse of wind turbine north of Hwy 126, west of State Route O. The blades and base all collapsed into a pile . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine collapses at Barton County Liberty Utilities wind farm
On Friday afternoon, a wind turbine at the North Fork Ridge Wind Farm collapsed. No one was at the site when it fell. Liberty Utilities officials say crews are working to secure the site and will provide more information as it becomes available. Liberty sent the following statement to KOAM. “We are aware of an incident involving a wind tower at our North Fork Ridge Wind Farm in a rural area in Barton County. Crews are working to secure the . . . Complete story »
Man charged for stealing 440 lbs. of copper from Missouri wind turbine
A man who is believed to be behind the theft of more than 440 lbs. of copper from a Missouri wind turbine has been charged. Gentry County, Missouri, Circuit Court records filed on Wednesday, Sept. 24, indicate that Matthew J. Thomas, 43, of Clarksdale, has been charged with stealing the copper. A probable cause statement filed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol revealed that on Sept. 30, 2024, law enforcement officials were called to the area of 450 St. and . . . Complete story »
Department of Energy terminates taxpayer-funded financial assistance for Grain Belt Express
The Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the Loan Programs Office (LPO) has terminated its conditional commitment for the Grain Belt Express Phase 1 project, a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line intended to connect wind and solar capacity across Kansas and Missouri. The conditional commitment, which would have provided a taxpayer-funded loan guarantee of up to $4.9 billion dollars, was issued by the Biden administration in November 2024 – one of many conditional commitments that were rushed out the . . . Complete story »
Ameren’s High Prairie wind farm turbines idle after collapses
Most of the wind turbines at Ameren’s High Prairie Wind Farm remain idle following the collapse of three turbines last year, attributed to extreme weather conditions. David Meiners, Ameren’s director of renewable operations, informed the Adair County Commission about ongoing maintenance and blade replacement efforts during a meeting on Monday. “We had some turbines where the blades came off and the imbalance caused the turbines to fall,” said Meiners. Currently, just over a dozen turbines have been reactivated. “We started . . . Complete story »
Another turbine collapses in Schuyler County
Another wind turbine collapsed in Schuyler County Thursday. It happened around 1:30 p.m. off Route D, southwest of Downing. A resident that lives a quarter-mile away from the turbine told KTVO the blades were first to fall, two of them shattering. Its base then bent and collapsed on itself soon after. Nearby neighbors could hear a loud boom. The turbine is part of a wind farm owned by Ameren Missouri. It spans across Adair and Schuyler Counties. We reached out . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine collapses in Schuyler County Sunday morning
A northeast Missouri wind turbine collapsed Sunday morning. It happened off of State Highway O in Schuyler County, about three miles east of Queen City, near the Ameren Missouri High Prairie substation. The call came into the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office just after 7:30 a.m. The reporting party said they heard a loud boom just before making the call to authorities. There are no reports of any injuries and no other details at this time as to what caused the . . . Complete story »
1 more way the admin’s ‘green’ electricity plan will cost consumers big: 91,000 miles of new transmission lines
For over a decade, there has been a project proposal to build about 800 miles of transmission lines from Kansas through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana to deliver wind-generated electricity to consumers. However, a recent Aug. 8 ruling by an Illinois court halts the planned construction of lines in that state. This project, known as the Grain Belt Express, will need to be replicated about 110 more times across the U.S.—creating up to 91,000 miles of new transmission lines in total—if . . . Complete story »
