Cape Breton wind turbine was regularly inspected before collapse

There'sa good reason wind turbinesdon't usually collapse.

Turbines, like the one that failed catastrophically in Cape Bretonlast week, getregular inspections and maintenance to keep them atpeak performance.

Any issue with mechanicalefficiency or worse, downtime results in a loss of profit.

The20-storey-tallEnerconE-82 turbine that now lies bent over in a wooded area of Nova Scotiawas inspected every threeto six months by workers with the company.

Depending on the turbine'smaintenance cycle, the devicesare inspected visually, testedfor strong electrical connections or refilled withlubricants.

Collapse happened during component swap

Enerconofficials would not confirm the length or specific details aboutits maintenance contract with Renewable Energy Services Limited (RESL), the mainshareholder of the Point TupperWind Farm.

Enerconofficials emphasize the collapse happened during a scheduled component exchange, not during construction, installation or regular operations.

While workers were replacing the component, an incident occurred, the company said. The workers quickly evacuated the site before the turbine's tower buckled and sent the blades plummeting to the ground.

Some residents of Port Hawkesburysay they saw the turbine spinning unusually quickly before it fell.

The Canadian Wind Energy Association says this collapse wasthe firstcatastrophic failure of its kind in Canada.

Government does not inspect turbines

The turbine'sinspections and maintenanceare done almostentirely without government oversight.

I don't think there's anyone who would want to put a turbine up with fear that it's going to fall.- Michel Samson, Nova Scotia's Minister of Energy

There is a rigorous approval process to receive provincial and federalauthorizationto build a turbine,includingannual wildlifesurveys and extensive community consultation.

But once a turbine isup, the government is relatively handsoff.

"I can assure you that for the companies that are putting up these turbines, these are a significant investment," said Michel Samson, Nova Scotia's Minister of Energy.

The 11turbines built at the Point TupperWind Farm reportedly cost at least $55 million to install.

"I don't think there's anyone who would want to put a turbine up with fear that it's going to fall," Samson said.

Cause of collapse still not known

The government says it is still working closely with Enerconto determine the cause of the collapse.

Wednesday afternoon, flat-bed trucks were seen entering the wind farm to retrieve shipping containers used to transportequipment and tools tothe site.

There is no timeline for when the investigation willbe complete, said Karine Asselin,aspokesperson for Enercon saidThursday.