Wind turbines shut down amid investigation into collapse

A companyin Chatham-Kent, Ont. has shut down all 51 of its wind turbines as a precaution until an investigation reveals what caused one of the turbines to collapse last Friday.

The turbine in Raleigh Township, near the corner of Drake Road and the16thLine, collapsed on itself.

Representatives from the company which owns the turbine,TerraFormPower, were at the site Monday inspecting the damage. The area has been blocked off with temporary plastic fencing.

"It's a warning to me," said Chatham-Kent Ward 2 Coun. FrankVercouteren. "I've noticed that some of these turbines are pretty close to the road. That distance has to be more."

Under investigation

Director of investor relations for TerraForm power, Chad Reed, told CBC News in an emailed statement that the cause is being investigated by a "team of experts."

"We are making progress on the inspection and expect to complete it within the coming weeks. As a precaution, the facility will remain offline until the inspection is complete."

The Ministryof Labour and theMinistryof the Environment and Climate Change are also investigating.

In an emailedstatement to CBCNews, aspokesperson for the Ministry of Labour saidthat an inspector and engineer attended the scene and issued no orders or requirements.

Ministry of Environment spokesperson Gary Wheeler said in an emailed statement to CBC Newsthat his ministry is taking the incident "very seriously" and "will ensure that the company determines the cause of the incident."

Reed saidhis company will provide more details on whichcompany built the tower portion of the turbine once the investigation is complete.

CBCNews is trying to determine whether CS Wind manufactured the tower components. The company has not responded to calls.

The turbine was originally constructed by Graham Construction of Calgary in 2009. It was owned by Raleigh Wind Power which brought the turbine online in January of 2011.TerraFormpurchased Raleigh Wind Power in 2015.