Turbine fire at Victoria wind farm under investigation

A fire at a Pacific Blue wind farm in Portland, Victoria is under investigation, after a turbine was destroyed on Friday. 

The fire was located at the top of the turbine, located near the Cape Nelson lighthouse. Just before 8pm, Fire Rescue Victoria firefighters were called to the blaze and reported that one blade had already fallen off and the other two expected to follow.

The fire in the Senvion MM82 turbine, which has a hub height of 69 metres and a maximum blade tip height of 110 metres, was allowed to burn out as there was nothing the firefighters could do.

An investigation into the cause of the blaze by the State Fire Investigation Unit will take several weeks “due to the complexity of the scene and the necessity to ensure the safety of investigators”, Fire Rescue Victoria said.

This fire is the first in the Portland area since wind farms started to be built around 20 years ago, Fire Rescue Victoria commander Greg Kinross told the ABC.

He said the rarity of wind turbine blazes mean they aren’t a big fire risk.

Cape Nelson South is one of four sites that make up the 195 megawatt (MW) of wind farms owned by Pacific Blue in the area. It was built in 2009 in an area home to native coastal Mallee scrub, and is the second to last one built. 

“Emergency protocols were activated to ensure the safety of people and to secure the site. Fire from the affected turbine has been contained and we can confirm no personal injuries have been sustained,” said a prepared statement from Pacific Blue.

“The site has been secured and power to the affected turbine has been isolated to ensure safety of personnel and surrounding environment. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the incident.”

The fire is the second for Pacific Blue (formerly Pacific Hydro) this year. 

In February, a fire destroyed a wind turbine at the Clements Gap wind farm in South Australia, with the estimated cost of damage being $2.2 million. 

That wind farm uses Suzlon S88 wind turbines which have a hub height of 79m and a maximum blade tip height of 126.5m.

Clements Gap is one of the older wind farms in South Australia and the first for Pacific Blue in that state. Its 27 Suzlon S88 turbines started sending power to the grid in 2010.