Farmers’ fears grow as Golden Plains Windfarm that shoots off flying, serrated shards gets bigger

The government says the growing Golden Plains Windfarm is “inspiring”, but local farmers say they have even more reason to fear they’ll be hit with shards that fly off “from time to time”.

The state government on Friday celebrated the opening of new wind farm turbines near Geelong, despite the operator warning locals that serrated edges remain at risk of flying off into neighbouring properties.

Despite the dangers, Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio hailed the opening of the Golden Plains Windfarm’ second stage alongside owners TagEnergy on Friday, calling the wind farm a ­“remarkable and truly inspiring” achievement.

“These renewable energy projects provide us with that cheap, clean energy that is so essential to a successful energy transition,” she said.

Mr Coad where he found wind farm debris, 800 metres from the closest turbine. Picture: Mark Stewart

TagEnergy managing partner Andrew Briggs was asked whether the global clean-energy company could guarantee further serrated edges would not fly off the turbines.

But the spokesman conceded it was likely to occur from “time to time”.

“I guarantee there might be that happen in the future, ­because it’s a normal thing, right?” he said.

“This is an operating plant for 30 years. Sometimes you have things happen.”

Last month the Sunday Herald Sun revealed farmers and local residents had been told to delay any works and wear hard hats within 400m of the brand new wind turbines after several pieces – some weighing more than half a kilogram – were found lodged into nearby farmland last month after detaching in high winds.

“If works without are not critical, we recommend postponing until the second risk assessment is completed and further communications are issued,” the company told locals.

Mr Briggs said yesterday that recommendations from a WorkSafe investigation into the detachments would be implemented. “The safety of everyone is paramount,” he said.

But neighbouring farmer Russell Coad slammed Mr Briggs’s comments, raising concerns about the safety of residents and those travelling by.

“What if pieces flew off and hit a car?” he said.

“It’s so close to the road.”

Picture: Mark Stewart

Picture: Mark Stewart

Mr Coad has collected ­almost a dozen serrated edges so far and has been warned of further defects.

“We’re still being told not to go near them,” he said.

“They’re 100m from my fence so that’s 300m of my land I can’t go on. I’ve had to move my livestock, I’ve delayed cropping I need to do.”

Vestas, the company delivering the turbines, said it was “making significant strides in repairing serrated trailing edges affected by extreme stormy weather”.

“Around 60 per cent of turbine blades have been thoroughly inspected and repaired as required and exclusion zones have been lifted,” a spokesman for the company said. “The remaining turbines will be addressed carefully over the next two weeks and exclusion zones removed around each one on completion.”

Western Victorian MP Bev McArthur said it was “completely unacceptable” that farms and households were facing the danger of falling debris.

“And it’s incredible that these wind turbines are falling apart because of – you’ve guessed it – wind!” she said.

“This is just the latest disruption foisted upon regional Victoria by the Melbourne-centric Labor Party and their blind ideological rush to politically motivated renewables targets. What’s next, sheep in hard hats?”

Originally published as Farmers’ fears grow as Golden Plains Windfarm that shoots off flying, serrated shards gets bigger