Geelong: Massive wind turbine collapses after heavy storm in regional Victoria
A massive wind farm turbine has collapsed to the ground after a thunderstorm left the structure piled up on a rural Victoria property.
The situation has lead the Victorian opposition to call for an immediate audit into all of the turbines and their maintenance across the state.
A heavy storm at the Berrybank Wind Farm, west of Geelong, brought down the monstrous structure which now ays in a heap of twisted metal on the ground.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The ABC is reporting the government said a section of the wind turbine detached in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after parts of the state were battered by thunderstorms and damaging winds.
The Bureau of Meteorology measured wind gusts of up to 60kph at Berrybank on Monday night, and 70kph the night before.
No one was injured as a result, but the government said WorkSafe and Energy Safe Victoria travelled to the site on Tuesday to investigate.
An exclusion zone was set up around the turbine and Global Power Generation Australia stopped all generation.
Naturgy, the Spanish company which operates Berrybank Wind Farm, said the site had been temporarily shut down as it worked to ensure the safety of its personnel.
“The project’s remaining wind turbines have been temporarily paused, and the site is safely secured,” a Naturgy spokesperson said.
“An investigation is underway to confirm the root cause of the incident.”
Member for Polwarth Richard Riordan said local communities were becoming concerned with the wind farms across Victoria’s west.
“In less than 12 months, we’ve had uncontrolled fires, a death on a worksite, pieces of shrapnel falling … and now we’ve had a whole half-a-wind turbine collapse into a paddock,” Mr Riordan said.
