‘Quality issues’ raise concerns about controversial wind turbine project
Martin Shipton
Campaigners have drawn attention to the fact that serious “quality issues” have been identified in the type of wind turbines specified in a company’s planning application to build an energy park in the Valleys.
There are concerns about the visual impact of the project on the landscape.
Siemens, which manufactures the turbines, discovered in January that there were major problems with some of its onshore turbine components, particularly rotor blades and bearings.
In late June the group reported that the problem was far worse than originally thought, seeing this as a “bitter blow”. So much so, in fact, that Siemens has withdrawn its profit guidance for its Siemens Gamesa turbines this year and says the problems will take years to put right.
The problems have been located in Siemens’ new generation onshore wind turbines 4.X and 5.X models.
Bute Energy has recently submitted a planning application for its Twyn Hywel Energy Park near Pontypridd – the first of the group’s energy parks to go to planning. The application documents show that Twyn Hywel will use Siemens SG6.0-155 model turbines which are part of the 5.X range. I
Jenny Chryss of the campaign group RE-think: Don’t Break the Heart of Wales said: “It is vital for Bute Energy that the Twyn Hywel plan goes through smoothly because it’s the first of the group’s developments to go to planning and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners – its announced investor – will be deciding whether or not to invest. So I doubt we will hear much from them on the issue unless we ask.
“The turbine specification or manufacturer for Nant Mithil Energy Park, near Llandrindod, has not yet been made public, but the capacity of the individual turbines and the overall capacity of the planned energy park suggest that they will also be part of the 5.X range, probably the SG6.6-155. Bute Energy would probably get a good deal if they bought turbines for all their energy parks from one manufacturer. Nant Mithil’s overall capacity is said to be 235MW – divide this by 36 and you get 6.527. The rated capacity of the SG6.6-155 is 6.6MW.
“The other interesting point is that from Siemens’ own product descriptions the turbines have 20 or 25 year lifespans. Yet in their publicity material, Bute Energy clearly state that the project will be over 40 years. So will two lots of turbines and blades be dismantled and blades go into landfill over the lifetime of the project?
“These faults are significant because the Twyn Hywel Energy Park planning documents demonstrate that the turbines are being supplied by Siemens Gamesa. In addition, document 3.3 Turbine Foundations shows that the model in question is the SG6.0-155. “Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners – Bute’s financial backers – state that they haven’t found any problems in their current fleet. That’s likely because their current fleet doesn’t contain any 4.X or 5.X models which are new generation.
“They also, tellingly, say that they want to work with Siemens Gamesa to sort out the problems – why would they do this if they were not going to be within their onshore fleet in the future?
Welsh weather
A spokesman for Bute Energy said: “We are making the Welsh weather work for Wales, developing onshore wind projects that will generate clean, green energy, supporting the Welsh Government’s target for electricity to be 100% renewable by 2035.
“It is standard industry practice for a ‘candidate turbine’ to be used for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) needed to support a planning application for an Energy Park. This provides indicative turbine dimensions and characteristics for the purposes of assessment and is in line with EIA Regulations.
“No agreements or contracts are currently in place for turbines for Twyn Hywel Energy Park, or any other project. We are currently engaging with several turbine manufacturers ahead of a full, competitive, procurement process.
“Each contract we award during development and construction will see partners sign up to a Social Value Standard, which will support and direct our partners to invest jobs, time, resources and money into the communities near our projects. Our aim is to keep as much of our investment in Wales for the benefit of local communities.”
Ms Chryss responded: “I put ‘candidate turbine’ into Google and came up with several examples where candidate turbines were used for a variety of purposes during the various environmental and other assessment stages. However, they were all clearly described as such. I have by no means looked at all the Twyn Hywel planning documents, but certainly 3.3 makes no reference to the SG6.0-155 being a “candidate” turbine.
“Even if it is just a candidate, Bute’s choice of model seems odd, given all the problems of the 5.X range. Siemens were reporting problems with that range as far back as January 2022 and the problems ramped up in January 2023, so they had plenty of time to find an alternative. Why attach yourself to a dodgy model if you don’t need to and don’t intend to use it?
“These documents, including 3.3, form part of the full planning application, so I’d be interested to hear when they plan to decide on the final turbine type and why they don’t have to make that decision prior to submitting the planning application. Does the planning inspector ever get to see what turbine is finally selected, or is this one in 3.3 actually already chosen? Or doesn’t it matter?
Briefing notes
Bute did not want to add to its previous statement, but issued a series of briefing notes.
One of the documents said: “As the Twyn Hywel application points out, the candidate turbine chosen has a rated maximum capacity of 6.6MW, tip height of 200m, rotor diameter of 155m, and a hub height of 122.5m. It should be noted that the final chosen turbine may be different depending on the technology available at the time of construction. However 200m will be the maximum proposed tip height.”
A Bute Energy spokesman said:such detail was in the Environmental Impact Assessment.
He said: “In terms of Jenny’s questions, this is the standard/industry approach you take to get consent for a wind energy project. It is the dimensions – ie the maximum size – of a candidate turbine, rather than the specific make and model of turbine. Jenny should feel free to contact us directly to discuss if she wants more information or I’m sure PEDW will be able to help otherwise.
“In summary, this is the standard way to develop, assess and consent an energy park. We are yet to begin the procurement of any turbine components and are currently engaging with several turbine manufacturers, as Jenny herself mentions, ahead of a full, competitive, procurement process.”
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One of the main points of the green revolution is to get away from ‘short-termism’. To understand the real cost of things from creation, during operation and at end of life.
It is tempting to wonder how this can be done when share-holder returns are prioritized over social good. It’s 200 years of that thinking that has got us into this mess.
Let’s have green energy ASAP – we’re going to need an awful lot of it to charge our cars – cook our dinners and heat our homes.
But let’s do it properly.
Wales can have all the green energy it needs, and export the same again to the rest of the U.K., just from offshore wind, generated a LONG way from people’s homes and without filling our landscapes with marine scale turbines
Like long term Bisphenol A poisoning presumably? Turbine blades are full of it, and they scatter it over the countryside and water. Nothing green about that!
We already get plenty of that in everyday plastic items! I agree that it is a pity that some of them have it in their blades. I rather feel that we would do much better if we were to have smaller turbines, and turbine farms that are owned and operated by the local communities rather than faceless foreign investment companies. They are following in the footsteps of all the other external financial companies that repeatedly have taken assets out of Cymru and then depart leaving a mess for the locals to clean up.
You want green energy, Erisian. Don’t you realise it CANNOT EVER power the UK? It is far too puny and too intermittent! Just look at the 2022 wind energy graph on Gridwatch.co.uk ! It resembles STALAGMITES, because the wind is so intermittent…….OBVIOUS! LOOK AT THE 2022 WIND ENERGY MINIMUM…….A PALTRY 144MW …….NOTHING!! So fossil fuel back up power stations can NEVER be switched off…because we need electricity 24/7 ! In 2022 UK wind energy AVERAGED ONLY 7033MW !! Well, 30 million SMALL EVs will need 150,000MW to be available from the Nat Grid. We need 50000MW for other, non-car, usage!… Read more »
I find it interesting that Bute talk about the “industry standard” approach, when turbines of this scale have never been built in Wales before. It may be common practice elsewhere but surely it is up to the Welsh Government what is considered “the standard” in Wales. Are Bute in effect being allowed to write the standard for the Welsh Government?
Concentrating on what should be a temporary engineering problem with bearings is not a very effective way of opposing this development as by the time it is built the problem will likely be reduced or eliminated. Saying that in 25 years time the blades will be consigned to landfill also ignores developments in recycling that are taking place now, even if the best that can be achieved is adding the material to concrete the blades are highly unlikely to just be added to landfill. What is missing is any real tangible benefit to people in Wales, individuals cannot invest in… Read more »
“…..we seem to ignore bigger problems such as the industrialisation of farming that devestates rivers such as the Wye.” We don’t ignore it but despite Welsh Gov and NRW banging on about it they are very reluctant to cap the size of these mass production units. These can no longer be seen as “family farms”. They are now big industrial units set up to meet the demands of supermarkets for cheap product to satisfy their appetite for bigger profits. Not even good quality food. On the matter of turbines if their material content is in any way suspect then consent… Read more »
Wales already produces 60%+ more electricity than it uses so why do we need these ugly, inefficient wind turbines ruining our countryside. They produce nothing on calm days and are very noisy. We are the 4th biggest exporter of electricity in the world but if we want to produce even more why not tidal power? Who benefits from wind farms? Follow the money?Why are Welsh electricity bills some of the highest in the U.K.?
“…Why are Welsh electricity bills some of the highest in the U.K.?”
That’s easy; “energy policy”, if leaving it to the market (and pricing all electricity at the highest source cost) can be called a policy, is reserved to Westminster.