Wind turbine collapses at southwestern Ontario wind farm
by The Canadian Press
Images from the scene show the turbine's tower buckled nearly in half and the blades in a heap nearby; an investigation is underway
The turbine was part of a 78 megawatt wind farm in Chatham Kent. PHOTO: Monte McNaughton/Twitter
CHATHAM-KENT, Ont.—A Maryland-based renewable energy company is investigating after one of its wind turbines collapsed in southwestern Ontario.
Chad Reed, a spokesman for Terraform Power, said it happened late Jan. 18 or early Jan. 19 at the company’s 78 megawatt Raleigh project in Chatham-Kent.
“The issue did not cause any injuries or impact to the broader community,” Reed said in an email late last week.
“We are currently investigating the cause of the issue. In the meantime, we have secured the immediate area around the turbine and taken the full facility off-line as a precaution as we conduct a site inspection.”
Monte McNaughton, a provincial lawmaker for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, posted what he said was an image of the collapsed turbine on Twitter.
The Progressive Conservative politician, who has been a longtime critic of wind power, called on Ontario’s Liberal government to place a moratorium on two other wind projects in the region.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
