Repair plan in works for Arkwright turbine
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ARKWRIGHT -- A wind turbine located on Straight Road in Arkwright was struck by lightning last month. According to Town of Arkwright Supervisor Brian McAvoy, the incident occurred on or around Aug. 22.
The incident caused one of the blades of the wind turbine to separate from the structure. The blade landed along an access road in a wooded area, and several trees were uprooted upon collision with the blade.
EDP Renewables contacted McAvoy to alert the Town of the incident. A repair plan is in the works, which will likely utilize a large crane to replace the damaged propeller with one that is operational.
EDP Renewables is the owner of Arkwright Summit Wind Farm, which consists of 47 wind turbines erected in 2018. The Town receives annual payments from EDP for hosting the wind turbines.
At a recent meeting, two residents raised concerns about the recent lightning strike on the wind turbine, and asked whether there is a safety concern as the turbines age. The concern about windmill noise was also raised, questioning whether they are getting louder with age. McAvoy suggested he could reach out to EDP and ask if they have any technical data they could share regarding these concerns.