A Vestas wind turbine at the Ferndale wind power facility in Ontario was found to be listing to one side by maintenance crews. The turbine, owned and operated by Capstone Infrastructure, has been shimmed and tethered to the ground while Capstone engineers work to discover the issue.
In a statement to North American Windpower, Capstone Infrastructure says that “surrounding landowners, neighbours, property and structures are safe. The turbine in question poses no danger to people or property in the vicinity.” The closest structure to the turbine is 400 meters away, while the turbine itself is only 115 meters high, according to Capstone. The turbine, a 1.8 MW Vestas V80 model, was erected in 2002.
“During routine, regular maintenance at our Ferndale wind power facility in Ontario late last week, the service crew noticed that one of the turbines appeared to be listing slightly. Engineers were immediately dispatched to the site, where it was confirmed that the turbine in question was in a leaning position.” Capstone has placed security guards around the site to ensure the area remains “clear and secure.”
“At this point, the specific cause of the leaning turbine hasn’t been conclusively determined,” Capstone tells NAW in a statement. “We are working through a number of possible causes and potential solutions. The turbine has been idled and will not resume operations until the matter is resolved. The two other turbines on the site have been thoroughly inspected by qualified engineers, and it has been determined that they are not affected by the same issue. Those turbines are operating as normal.”
Capstone acquired the Ferndale wind power facility in 2013 when it acquired Renewable Energy Developers Inc.
