€640,000-wind turbine crashes at Irish wind-power farm

A major investigation had been launched following the collapse of an 80-metre wind turbine worth almost €640,000 on a mountainside in Co Tyrone in light winds, the Irish Independent reported.

Though the collapse of the massive structure scattered debris across a wide area, no one was injured, said Doreen Walker, as there were no personnel on site at the time.

The turbine was one of eight on the Screggagh wind farm on Murphy Mountain near Fintona in Co Tyrone.

The cause of the collapse was not clear as winds were light on Friday.

It was understood the rotor blades spun out of control and the sound that the structure made as it crashed to the ground could be heard up to 12km away.

While some people compared the noise to an explosion, others claimed having heard the sound of metal grinding throughout the day.

Walker said in a statement that emergency procedures worked well.

She said, "We are currently investigating the circumstances that led to the collapse of the turbine at Screggagh wind farm.

"We are, however, satisfied that the site's precautionary health and safety alert processes worked well, with local emergency services in attendance within minutes of the incident taking place."

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that seven remaining wind turbines had been shut down at the wind farm following the accident.

Walker added, the wind farm would remain shut until Nordex UK Ltd had completed a full investigation into the remaining seven wind turbines and confirmed that they were safe to operate.

The turbine tower was 60 metres high, with an 80-metre rotor diameter, and measured 100 metres to blade tip.

The debris from the stricken turbine could be seen across the mountainside and a large spike remained stuck into the earth several hundred yards from the turbine site.

Walker said all of the debris from the collapsed wind turbine was contained within the wind farm site, adding no debris went on to the public road or neighbouring / adjoining land holdings."

The Screggagh farm was commissioned in April 2011.