TransAlta wind farm in N.B. taken offline after tower collapse

Photo: The Canadian Press

TransAlta Renewables Inc. says it has temporarily taken a wind farm in New Brunswick offline after a tower collapse.

The Calgary-based company says one of the towers at the 167 MW Kent Hills wind facility in Kent Hills, N.B. collapsed. The facility is majority owned by TransAlta's indirect subsidiary Kent Hills Wind LP.

The company says there were no injuries. No one was in the area when the incident occurred and there are no homes in the immediate vicinity.

TransAlta says its emergency response team has secured the area to ensure safety. The remaining turbines at the Kent Hills 1 and Kent Hills 2 sites have been taken offline temporarily as a precaution.

TransAlta says it is working to determine the cause of the failure and to safely return the site to service.

TransAlta's Kent Hills wind farm consists of 50 wind turbines at Kent Hills 1 and Kent Hills 2, and five turbines at Kent Hills 3. The collapsed tower is located within the Kent Hills 2 site.