Locals concerned after debris thrown from Newbliss wind turbine

Landowners fear for their safety after wind turbine suffers catastrophic failure scattering broken material around the fields below.

RESIDENTS who live and work near a windfarm in Co Monaghan are worried for their safety after a blade on one of the turbines operated by Energia, broke last month.

When a blade on one of eight turbines at Drumlins Park Windfarm which is located between the villages of Newbliss, Drum and Scotshouse broke on April 22, collapsed and suffered catastrophic failure, it shattered into fragments, which, scattered over the surrounding land.

Some of the shards that were thrown from the turbine were up to 10 metres long and landed in the field below and another one nearby.

The turbines, which, were manufactured by GE Vernova have a tip height of 180 metres. According to research conducted by DNV GL, a leading research and consultancy firm in wind energy, blades with a height of 150 metres can have a throw distance of 140 metres for the entire blade and 450 metres for fragments of it.

After the blade broke last month, Energia shut down all the turbines as a precautionary measure but "seven turbines have now safely resumed operations after comprehensive safety inspections were carried out on site," the company's website says.

The eighth turbine impacted by blade damage remains shut down.

Part of a large fragment of the turbine's broken blade thrown into a field. The rest of it is embedded in the ground.

The 'Celt spoke with concerned local landowners who say they fear for their safety and that of other farmers, road users and relatives who work or traverse their family lands.

One of them witnessed the fragments falling off on a day which was "not particularly windy".

"I have asked Energia if the remaining turbines are safe. I want to be reassured that this won't happen again, but I have not received a response. The turbines were shut down for a week but then they were restarted, and I am within the throw distance of one of them," the landowner said.

The Drumlins Park Windfarm is in a secluded area, off main roads, but there are residences, poultry houses and farm sheds in and around the eight turbines.

"All the people here are farming family land. We have children out at cattle and other farm activities. Someone could have been killed or seriously injured if in the area at the time of the incident, which, occurred while the turbine was operating normally and without any warning.

“We would like Energia to reassure the public that the turbines are safe. We would like Energia to take our concerns seriously," another landowner told the 'Celt.

On the Energia Group website for Drumlins Park the company said a "phased restart" of the remaining seven turbines was undertaken, "with each turbine only returning to operation once all required safety checks had been completed and it was confirmed safe to do so by the turbine manufacturer, GE Vernova.

"We are continuing to work closely with GE and the relevant authorities," their statement continues, "An action plan is being developed for the replacement of the damaged blade and turbine repair."

Energia also said a timeline for the replacement work has not been confirmed and they would continue to post updates to their website.

"There is a liaison officer appointed to work with residents and landowners and there was some engagement before the turbines went up but now there is no contact from Energia," one of the people we spoke to said.

Local councillor Richard Truell (FG) lives approximately two miles from the windfarm and can see the broken turbine from his house. He raised the issue at the most recent meeting of the Ballybay-Clones MD on Monday when the council agreed to wrote to Energia to ask the company to explain what procedures they have in place to prevent this from happening again and to ask for an independent assessment of all the turbines.

"We don't want to see this again," Cllr Truell told the 'Celt, "You would hope this is an isolated event, but it happens all over the world. Wind turbines are so good for the environment, but no energy solution should be at the cost of human life."

The ’Celt brought local people’s concerns to Energia who said in response: “As noted in our update of May 12, seven of the eight turbines have safely resumed operations after comprehensive safety inspections that were carried out on site.

“Health and safety is, and will continue to be, an absolute priority for Energia,” the statement continues, “With regard to the one damaged turbine, we are engaging with the affected landowners, and we will continue to provide overall updates via our website.”

Drumlins Park Windfarm has the capacity to generate up to 49 MW of renewable energy which is enough to meet the annual electricity needs of around 34,000 Irish households.

The development will have a 30-year operational life from the date of commissioning in 2024.