By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH Indiana Correspondent
PAYNE, Ohio — Turbines at a northwestern Ohio wind farm are spinning again after an investigation into an April blade failure that left debris in a field near one of the towers.
The farm’s 55 turbines were shut down after the April 24 incident until June 4, when all but the damaged one were restarted. The repaired turbine was expected to be operational again last weekend.
Officials with EDP Renewables (EDPR), owners of the Timber Road II wind farm, and Vestas, the turbine manufacturer, determined the problem was caused by a manufacturing defect in one of the turbine’s three blades, Vestas said. It added the company has corrected the production issue.
A second blade failed due to overload caused by the first blade failure, the company said. Vestas officials visually inspected all the other blades at the farm and reported no evidence of blade damage, other than one blade that had lightning damage. “Vestas and EDPR have taken great care to ensure the safety of employees, landowners and the general public during this process,” Vestas stated.
Timber Road II has an installed capacity of 99 megawatts, enough electricity to power about 27,000 homes. The farm, in Paulding County near the Ohio-Indiana state line, began operation in July 2011. |