Wind turbine collapse under investigation in southeast New Brunswick
A wind turbine at New Brunswick's largest wind farm has collapsed.
According to the TransAlta Corporation, the Alberta-based company that owns and operates the Kent Hills wind farm, no one was injured when the structure toppled onto an access road.
"The cause of the incident is under investigation," TransAlta spokesperson James Mottershead said in an email to CBC News.
The area surrounding the wind facility has been closed while the investigation is underway.
The wind farm is located about 55 km southwest of Moncton, near Prosser Brook, and operates on Crown land.
According to the company's website, the Kent Hills wind farm is the largest wind facility in the province, with more than 50 wind turbines.
Photos from residents in the area show the crumpled turbine lying across an access road.
Mottershead said the company is asking the public to avoid the remote area, along with the sub-stations, access roads and more than 50 other wind turbines that populate the vast area, while the investigation takes place.
"We will provide an update once the site has been deemed safe for access and can be reopened to the public," Mottershead said in the email.
The remote area and its access roads are frequently used by ATV and dirt bike riders.
According to TransAlta's website, none of the windmills at the Kent Hills wind farm are more than 13 years old.
Construction on the farm started in 2008, finishing a decade later in 2018.
The company operates similar facilities in Alberta, Quebec, Ontario, as well as in the U.S. and Australia, its website states.
