High wind hazard: Norway wind farm faces SHUTDOWN as parts of wind turbines fly off due to strong winds

09/30/2022 / By Belle Carter

A Norwegian wind farm may face shutdown unless improvements are made as parts of wind turbines started flying off due to strong winds.

Over the past two years, at least seven objects have fallen from the turbines at the Anstadblaheia wind farm due to excessive winds, according to the travel and local culture guide website Life in Norway. The 14-turbine wind farm in Sortland near the northern coast of Norway produces between 140 and 150-gigawatt hours of electricity a year.

“It has not been safe to travel on the mountain. Although the facility is now being equipped for the future, and the surrounding area made safe, the reputation is damaged,” local newspaper editor Morten Berg-Hansen said.

According to Anne Johanne Krakenes, section head for the Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate, the operators have made some improvements. The agency officials have ordered a fix and if not done immediately, the wind farm could be closed down.

“In Norway, there are clear regulations for how wind parks can operate,” Krakenes said. “This relates to several aspects, like safety, environmental impact and local communities. NVE’s responsibility as a directorate is to supervise and ensure that these regulations are followed.”

The company has until Oct. 12 to work on the problems or face potential closure. (Related: Renewable energy is creating a new set of environmental problems.)

Noor Nooraddin, the wind farm’s general manager, blamed the weather as it makes it tough on the machinery. “The weather and wind in Vesteralen are probably one of the toughest things you can subject such machinery to,” he said.

Nooraddin added that it took time to find the root of the problem, but they’ll meet the government’s deadline.

France inaugurates first wind farm

France President Emmanuel Macron expressed his displeasure that renewable projects could be completed much faster elsewhere in Europe during the inauguration of the country’s first-ever offshore wind farm last week.

“Other countries that are no less respectful than we are of wildlife managed to construct offshore wind farms in five or six years,” Macron said. He spoke after roaming around the site just off the Atlantic Coast port of Saint-Nazaire.

Eighty turbines are finally turning after 11 years taken up mostly by planning and legal wrangles.

The country has been reliant on its large fleet of low-carbon nuclear reactors, but outages at a record number of plants this year have exposed France as a renewable energy laggard. They have six proposed new reactors seen to operate by 2035 at the earliest. Ramping up other forms of energy production has become inevitable.

Macron wants to hasten the development of wind and solar power to attract more investors into the “green energy” sector. However, he has been having issues with the passage of legislation. The opposition wing criticizes elements of the bill, while developers say more ambitious measures are needed.

“France became aware of the need to not lay everything on nuclear power the day after the Fukushima accident [in Japan in 2011],” said Raphael Lance, head of energy transition funds at Mirova, a French sustainable investment firm. He added that there’s still a “strong resistance to accelerating renewable energy.”

Visit NewEnergyReport.com for more news related to renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar.

Watch this video where the United Nations environmental policy project chief says wind, solar and climate models are just “boondoggle.”

This video is from the New American channel on Brighteon.com.