Wind turbine set ablaze as hurricane-force winds batter Scotland
Green energy news - by GreenWise staff
9th December 2011
A 100-metre tall wind turbine burst into flames after being struck by hurricane-force winds in Scotland yesterday.
The turbine at the
Ardrossan wind farm, North Ayrshire, was set alight on Thursday afternoon. Owners
Infinis said an investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire, which engulfed the nacelle of the turbine and caused debris to break off the huge structure.
Wind speeds of more than 55 miles per hour were recorded when Infinis took the decision to stop the blades turning at the 30 megawatt wind farm.
Local photographer Stuart McMahon, who caught the fireball on camera, told
ClickGreen the turbine caught fire first and the flames spread to the covering of the blades.
"There was debris still on fire being swept off in the wind and across the fields," he said.
In a statement, Infinis said: "The fire had extinguished itself before the fire services arrived and did not result in personal injury."
"The local distribution network operator, Scottish Power, was immediately notified of the incident and the site has been disconnected from the electricity network as a precautionary measure.
Investigation launched"The cause of the fire is not yet known and Infinis has taken immediate steps to investigate the incident fully."
Infinis bought the 15-turbine wind farm at Ardrossan from Scottish and Southern Energy last year for £54 million. It has the capacity to power 29,500 homes.
Further damage
The storm on Thursday caused a second wind turbine to crash to the ground near Coldingham Village in the Border region.
Winds of up to 165 miles per hour were recorded across some parts of Scotland and caused flooding, blocked roads and forced schools to close across the country.
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