SYDNEY, Sept 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Highland Lakes Road, near the Australian township of Bothwell in Tasmania State, is expected to be blocked off for at least 12 hours today, Thursday, after a truck carrying a 60-tonne, 68-metre-long wind turbine blade rolled.
Tasmanian Police inspector, Philippa Burk, told News Corp that the incident occurred this morning, when the truck failed to negotiate a sweeping left-hand bend and tipped over.
“The driver of the truck has no injuries and no other vehicles were involved,” she said. “He managed to get free from the truck as it’s obviously gone over.”
While authorities were relieved no one was hurt, it’s still not clear whether the renewable energy component will be salvageable.
“Often if (the damage) is minor we can fix that on site,” Leigh Walters, the project director at the Cattle Hill Wind Farm, where the blade was destined for, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“To get it upright there will be specialist contractors doing the recovery effort.”
“We’ll have a couple of cranes in to recover the truck and blade in one piece.”
According to Walters, the company has spent over 11 million Australian dollars (7.5 million U.S. dollars) on road upgrades in the area, in order to transport the massive components safely.
Although 99 other blades have previously arrived at the wind farm safe and sound, it appears on this occasion, the 100th blade was not so lucky.– NNN-XINHUA