Toora Wind Farm

Mirror
Wednesday 20/12/2006 Page: 9

THREE of the wind turbines at the Toora Wind Farm, have been taken off-line as a precautionary measure while a plant maintenance issue is investigated.

One wind turbine was taken off-line in October when Stanwell Corporation Limited (Stanwell) detected a gearbox bearing fault. Further investigation resulted in two more turbines being taken offline after showing early signs of a similar issue.

Stanwell is working with the wind turbine manufacturers and other engineering specialists to determine the cause of this fault.

A range of options have been identified to assist the wind farm in returning to normal operations. To expedite the repair, a replacement gearbox for the first turbine has been sourced from the original overseas equipment manufacturer. Investigations are also underway to engage a company capable of accessing spare parts and carrying out suitable repair on the other two wind turbines' gearboxes.

At this stage, it is not known how long the wind turbines will be out of service but it is anticipated that a staged return to operation for the three turbines will be possible starting from the end of January 2007.