Broken wind turbine still not fixed

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (WPRI) – A wind turbine in Portsmouth has stopped spinning after a gearbox malfunction.

According to Gary Crosby, the Assistant Town Planner, oil found its way into the gearbox back in May. After testing a sample of the oil, it was discovered to have “an alarmingly high particulate value,” leading to a voluntary shut-down on June 18.

In order to get the turbine up-and-running once more, the gearbox would need to be replaced.

The Portsmouth town council received a figure in the range of $206,000 from a company called Lumus.

The aforementioned price is just for a single gearbox, but Lumus is willing to throw in a second box for free. A representative for the company says that gearbox failure is becoming a “national trend.”

In total, the project to restore the turbine could end up costing the town almost $1.5 million.

At the town council meeting on July 9, the issue was postponed to a future meeting, so there is no word on when the gearbox could be replaced.