Lightning strike fear halts turbine blade delivery in the Scottish Borders
Last updated 3rd May 2024
A slow-moving convoy transporting a turbine blade to the Pines Burn wind farm south of Hawick has been forced to park up for the night in a layby just outside the town - due to the risk of being struck by lightning.
Developers behind the project say another attempt will be made the complete the journey on Monday.
The blade - which measures the width of a football pitch - had set off from a layby south of St Boswells earlier today (Friday).
A number of previous deliveries have also been hit by delays.
One of the biggest issues for the turbines has been the weather. By late March, high winds - either actual or forecast - had caused the cancellation of the blade movement on nearly 30 occasions.
Reduced daylight in winter, low visibility due to fog and a "strong chance of snow" have also halted their progress.
And, in November, vandals slashed around 20 tyres on the blade transporter - causing around £20,000 worth of damage, and keeping the vehicle off the road.
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A spokesperson for Energiekontor said: "The blade has parked on the A6088 layby due to lightning risk in the area. The next scheduled delivery is Monday 6th May, where it will move from the layby to site.
"The next scheduled delivery following this will be Wednesday 8th May."
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