500 UK offshore wind turbines need vital repairs earlier than expected in an enormous renewable energy blunder which could cost more than £500 million. The turbines, operated by Ørsted and supplied by Siemens, need repairs to the leading edge of blades that eroded after only a few years at sea. At one wind farm off Duddon Sands, Cumbria, all 108 wind turbines have erosion problems, requiring removal and reconditioning. Repair entails the application of a rubber coating, meaning blades must be brought ashore. Costs including repair boat chartering and allowing for lost generation and income are estimated as around £1 million per turbine. Siemens have put aside half a billion quid to guarantee its commitments…

The Global Warming Policy Forum said:

“There is a lot more at stake here than the allocation of a painful repair bill. If this is a type failure… then it is a very expensively learned lesson. But if the need for these repairs is, as Siemens is apparently contending, just every day wear and tear, then this… will be strong evidence confirming long-held suspicions that developers and owners have greatly underestimated the normal cost of wind farm Operation and Maintenance (O&M).”

Let’s hope the taxpayer is counted out…