Damaged wind turbine near Ellensburg will have to come down, PSE says

Climate Lab is a Seattle Times initiative that explores the effects of climate change in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The project is funded in part by The Bullitt Foundation, CO2 Foundation, Jim and Birte Falconer, Mike and Becky Hughes, Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Martin-Fabert Foundation, University of Washington and Walker Family Foundation, and its fiscal sponsor is the Seattle Foundation.

You’ve heard of Don Quixote tilting at windmills, but out east of Ellensburg, they’ve got a windmill tilting.

Puget Sound Energy officials discovered Thursday a wind turbine so badly damaged that the structure is going to have to be taken down, said Melanie Coon, a spokesperson for the utility.

The turbine is part of the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility about 16 miles east of Ellensburg. The wind farm includes 149 turbines, and can generate up to 273 megawatts of electricity, enough to power nearly a quarter of a million homes.

Power has been cut off to the damaged turbine, and the site is closed to public access, Coon said. The structure is being watched around the clock and first responders have been apprised of the situation and remain on standby in case the tower fails.

The root of the problem appears to be a crack in the tower, Coon said.

PSE is speaking with the manufacturer, the energy company Vestas Engineering, about next options.

Representatives from Vestas could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ultimately, the turbine will be decommissioned and removed, Coon said. Members of the public are advised to stay away from the area.