-by Rankin MacDonald
On Tuesday night of last week the 150 foot (50 metre) wind turbine in Grand Etang snapped in two and crashed to the earth.
Luckily no one was hurt.
People in the area, known for its high winds, said that the winds were high that night, over 160 km/h, but that they have seen Les Suêtes blow higher and nothing happened.
The Grand Etang tower was installed as one of the province’s first in 2002 amid some controversy because it was a new, unproven technology for the region.
The turbine was made by Vestas of Denmark with a single 660-kilowatt turbines that automatically shuts down when the wind exceeds a certain speed.
Nova Scotia Power is investigating the collapse with an eye to cause.
According to Canadian Press, on February 25th, 2016, no one was injured when a 120-metre Vestas turbine fell in a field in Elkton, Michigan during a winter storm.
Canadian Press also reported that in January 2015, “a 100-metre turbine fell over on a mountainside in Northern Ireland.” The Daily Telegraph reports, “No one was injured at the Screggagh wind farm near County Tyrone, but debris was scattered across the site.”
On August 17th, 2016, an 80-metre turbine manufactured by Enercon collapsed at Point Tupper, Richmond County.
No one was injured at the time while maintenance was taking place.
The other 10 E-82 turbines installed in 2010 were not affected by the collapse.
The Grand Etang turbine was the only one of its kind in Nova Scotia.
Some of those close to the tower in Grand Etang were fearful that some of the large debris may have found its way to the homes.
Regulations make sure that the towers, if they fail, will not fall on houses.
Elie Joe and Laurette Chiasson have lived on their farm below where the tower stood for most of their lives.
They once ran a beef farm but are now retired.
Laurette said she never heard the tower fall.
She just noticed there was something wrong when she looked out her bedroom window and saw a yellow piece of debris on the fence.
Laurette wondered where the debris came from and when she looked out her kitchen window she gasped because the tower was gone.
“I phoned my son, Camille, to tell him,” she said. “there were pieces flying on each side of the house and one piece hit the house. The rest blew towards the ocean.”
They left the house for the night, fearing a blade might hit the house in the high wind.
The Chiassons said they never worried about the wind tower that stood above them for 15 years.
“They leased the land from Camille for 20 years,” she added. “All you ever heard was a swoosh.”
She said it will be up to Camille to decide what happens to the land now and if another tower is even being considered.
Laurette said that on hot days their 45 beef heard would get close to the tower for the breeze it created.
“We were never afraid of it,” she said.
There were plans years ago to put a wind farm on Cheticamp Island but public outcry stopped that undertaking.
The investigation is expected to take awhile.
