NextEra shuts down turbines at wind farms over safety concerns

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London Free Press, October 21, 2015
NextEra Energy acknowledged Wednesday that it shut down some of its Ontario turbines and warned landowners after it was discovered a part on spinning blades could fly off.
NextEra said the potential problem was with “a small thin plastic attachment” on the turbine blades that could separate while in operation.
“No injuries or property damage occurred as a result of this situation and we are working aggressively to develop a long-term solution,” NextEra spokesperson Joselen Bird said in an e-mail.
Some wind turbines, particularly those near roadways or other public access areas were temporarily shut down. After the plastic part was removed from the blades, the turbines were restarted, Bird said.
Bird emphasized that affected landowners were notified and the company shared with them the actions being taken.
The issue was raised in the Ontario Legislature Tuesday by Huron-Bruce Conservative MPP Lisa Thompson, who demanded a safety audit of industrial wind turbines across the province because of the risk of falling debris. She asked the government to shut down any turbines found unsafe.
Thompson said farmers in the Municipality of Bluewater north of London had been told by the wind farm company to stay a minimum of 300 metres away from the turbines when harvesting their crops.
Environment Minister Glen Murray said he would be happy to meet with Thompson about the issue and share any inspection reports. But Murray declined to agree to a safety audit.
“Wind turbines are just about the safest technology we have out there, certainly compared to coal plants,” Murray said.
“There are challenges with any technology, certainly transmission lines,” Murray added.

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9 Comments

  • Gord Schneider
    Posted October 21, 2015 2:59 pm 0Likes

    Par for the course with Murray. Can’t be shown to be helping the locals. we the voters will show our displeasure come the next election. I wonder if Nextera still gets paid while these hulks are shut down for repairs.

  • Tracy
    Posted October 21, 2015 4:43 pm 0Likes

    What a racket, it never ends; Nextera continues to exhibit negligence..again.
    The little plastic piece that detaches from the blade is small when compared to the overall size of a blade! It’s design looks like a giant saw with a seragated edge. Image this hitting you after flying off a turbine blade at a tremendous speed. “Decapitate, kill” human beings, will be permitted i rge the interest of not suing the ass off Nexterra. Ya think our new Prime Minister elect will stand for this?
    My house sits 400 meters from the closest wind turbine, part of the former Aim Powergen, CEO Liberal Party president Mike Crawley development. I was in the house when a piece of ice detached from the blade and hit my house. It sounded like an explosion. I can’t imagine being hit by a section of seragated turbine edging.
    These edges were designed to comb through the air; a band aid solution, trying to fool us into thinking that this flimsy ill attached modification reduced the Dba created my an industrial wind turbine. As if…… I’d like to see the study, the engineer who would put their credentials on the line to verify the effectiveness of this bs. When I first saw this modification to the blade I could not help but shake my head. At this point there was nothing I could do but laugh at the absurdity. Do the people of Ontario really believe this non sense??! I’m thinking there are very important standards in regards to safety that are not being met by the manufacturer. The plant I have observed is located on Highway 3 south of Tillsonburg Ont.
    Speaking of this plant, a couple of summers back before this plant was in production; I was received last minute information of Dalton McGuinty coming to town to do a press release of this great new facility. I was one of a handful who showed up in protest. Police officers in uniform as well as undercover officers were present. We were told to stay on the side of the busy highway. Activity at the plant was minimal, pretty quiet as the plant was not in production-although the news clip featured a staged environment of workers, inspectors and so on of a plant in production. Dalton arrived with his entourage. Driving the black shiny SUV was a big fella, he looked like The guy from the television show Mr. T. Dalton crawled out of the back of the SUV followed by a blond woman and quickly made their way into the plant. They slithered away as discreetly as they came, so they thought.
    Back to the turbine operation: now that these small plastic pieces designed to reduce noise have been removed (if indeed this has been completed) the turbines are again in motion?! The entire situation schmecks of lies and negligence.
    My last point: farmers now have been advised to stay at least 300 meters away from the turbines when harvesting their crops. The turbine in the field behind my house sits ~300 meters from my lot line. So much for the harvesting of that field! Perhaps the loss is not a concern, it is a pittance in comparison to the revenue being produced by the turbine. Months prior to this turbine development in 2008, this piece of land was purchased by a numbered corporation….this was after a closed door meeting the Norfolk County Council. The land had been rezoned for the purpose of turbine development; a pod of 6 turbines originally sited just few kms to the east, on the Long Point Biosphere reserve, which was a major North American flyway migration route; were relocated and shoe horned into an existing plan of 12 turbines bringing the total to 18 1.65 Vesta turbines within the 3 km radius of my home. The resiting of these turbines was brought about by Dr. Scott Petrie, a wildlife biologist with Canadian Bird Studies. Btw, land boundaries are not noted by migratory birds Scott.
    It appears that measures were taken, to again, attempt to cover the butts of those who knew better. Unfortunately, the harm and damage created by this move is far extenuating and irreversible. CEO Mike Crawley is well aware yet has not lifted a finger to help us and stop this deadly development, all in the name of blood money, in whose bank accounts may I add?
    Norfolk County Council for one, is currently being investigated for the exchange of money with the wind developer. Call this monetary exchange what you may: incentive, vibrancy fund; bribe and corruption comes to my mind. Just saying……
    There is not much I can do by myself to stop this insanity, the corrupt crime of our government and wind developers. I will continue to comment on what I have experienced in Clear Creek, Ontario.

  • Sommer
    Posted October 21, 2015 8:04 pm 0Likes

    Follow the conversation on wattsupwiththat about the RICO lawsuit.
    RICO refers to the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.
    Here’s a link to one of the recent articles:
    http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/10/13/quotes-of-the-week-hate-as-a-weapon-in-the-climate-wars-rico-madness-losers-and-all-that/

  • Tracy
    Posted October 21, 2015 10:45 pm 0Likes

    Good article thanks.
    It’s a big ugly game in a very sinful world. Behind it is money and greed.
    I often wonder if there is a chance for the minority of people with values and ethics to get things back on track. It’s like hitting your head against a brick wall. I do know I don’t fit in this place of corruption, deceipt, etc. which seems to have become the norm of society. I also know I do not want nor will I change to lower myself to the likes of the skum of the earth. It seems one must play the game to survive this contemporary Holocaust.

    • Sommer
      Posted October 22, 2015 4:23 pm 0Likes

      You’re welcome, Tracy. I hope you feel encouraged by watching these sorts of developments.
      Thank you always for contributing to the conversation, despite your dreadful day to day reality. It takes enormous strength of character!

  • R Danko
    Posted October 22, 2015 9:37 am 0Likes

    this is everywhere,we live in Simcoe County, our council has approved a solar installation in our township, In spite of protest and clear evidence the taxpayers do not want it,.there is no effort made by council to give the taxpayers who elected them reason for for their decision. One councillor compared the loss of property values which will follow for adjacent homes as the same as the bottom dropping out of the housing market.. or if a tanker truck spilled its contents in front of someones house which then caught on fire.. . they cant even do math.
    It begs a question… if the local residents are not benifiting from these insults to the land water and life invaded in the name of green energy, and it is local power that assists them … WHO IS..

  • Barbara
    Posted October 22, 2015 11:16 am 0Likes

    If IWT parts fall on your property keep them unless a court order and a warrant is produced by the party that wants the parts.
    Make sure your property has no trespassing signs posted.

  • Mike
    Posted October 22, 2015 9:26 pm 0Likes

    Nextera advised the MOE that a piece if wind turbine blade did indeed fall off a turbine near Goderich. It was the size of a ruler and fell to the base of the tower! There is a photo of the” small plastic piece” posted on facebook cbcafternoondrive out of Windsor. It is 15 inches by 4 ft. ! And it landed some distance from the tower base. There is no 3rd party oversight at all re the safety aspects of IWT’s! All other power generation sources DO have 3rd party oversight. What a mess !
    Afternoon Drive’s photo.

  • Tracy
    Posted October 24, 2015 5:33 pm 0Likes

    “Size of a ruler and fell to the base!” Oh sure..conditions must have been very still that day in the land of turbines.
    The turbine is able to function properly even with a piece missing?
    It appears Nextera for you to report to the MOE is a step in the right direction although it is very minuscule considering the extent of the
    harm and the damage you have brought to Ontario. Anti up

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