1.
In the past, Suzlon, Vestas, Gamesa and Siemens have been among those to lose blades. In this case it was the turn of Repower, with a blade breaking off one of the company's 2MW turbines in France. Worryingly, the 46-metre blade fell from a turbine at a project located alongside the country's A10 motorway.
The 52MW Chemin d'Ablis wind farm is located in the Eure-et-Loir department, to the south west of Paris. The other 25 turbines making up the plant are still operating, but they are also being checked as part of an investigation into the cause, according to EDF EN. The turbine was installed in 2008.
2.
This week the spotlight continues to focus on Gamesa, with the company announcing the closure of a nacelle factory in its Spanish home market. The move comes as part of a downsizing of Gamesa's operations there, following the government's lack of support for wind after 2012. On top of this, chief executive Jorge Calvet has left the company after less than three years in the role. Although profits were hit recently, the smoking gun appears to be in the hands of majority-shareholder Iberdrola.
3.
On a more constructive note, Siemens appears to be in pole position to supply the turbines for Italy's first offshore wind farm. WPD Italia has asked Italy's environment ministry for an environmental impact assessment of a 342MW wind project in the Gulf of Manfredonia, off the coast of Apulia. The company told “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç that it would look to bring in Siemens 3.6MW turbines.
4.
South Africa has approved seven wind projects totalling 562MW as part of its second renewable energy tender, with Suzlon, Acciona and Vestas emerging as the big winners. The government awarded 1.04GW out of a total of 1.23GW available. The projects include the 138MW Amakhala Emoyenia project in Eastern Cape province.
5.
And finally, the yet to be built 665MW Rampion offshore wind farm has made an impact on the inhabitants of Brighton on England's south coast and construction is yet to begin. A meteorological mast to survey project has been mistaken by well-meaning locals for a ship in distress. According to the BBC, the local coastguard has been inundated with emergency calls from people who have misinterpreted the mast's lights as SOS signals.
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