Something ‘deeply wrong’ with the cost to decommission wind turbines

Menzies Research Centre Executive Director Nick Cater discusses the steep cost of decommissioning wind turbines, which is estimated to cost $400,000 to $600,000 per turbine.

“There is something deeply wrong here,” Mr Cater told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

“If you want to dig a coal mine or anything of that nature, you would have to stump up a lot of money, which would go in a trust account and would be there ready to rehabilitate the mine after you finish digging it up.

“With wind turbines and solar panels, there is none of that; the developers are not expected to put that money up at all.”

[Roger-gdbc]

Where there's a trough,
There will be

[craigtuck]

about time someone is showing the true costs of wind turbines, they are a joke

[speedymccreedy]

Environmental bonds should be absolutely required for renewables. Albo’s merchant bank mates running large scale solar and wind getting another freebie at the expense of taxpayers.

[keithhooper]

I said it before, these wind farm companies, will declare bankruptcy, and the taxpayer will end up paying the decommissioning costs. I am in the UK.

[mikldude]

I saw a video recently where they showed masses of damaged or no longer serviceable wind turbine blades, and they where just stored in paddock because apparently there is no recycling for gigantic fibreglass blades, and these things are bigger than a semi trailer, not to mention they do wear out, break, and have a limited service life, and so need to be replaced periodically.
So if Albo and Bowen ( Huey and Dewey ) are planning on having in excess of 17000 of these wind turbines with 3 blades on each windmill, let’s say in 15 years all those blades may need replacement…. Do the maths, that is 17000 times 3 sets of blades, that’s 51000 massive blades .
If they are just dumped on land and let to rot how many acres of land will that need ?
Should they pay some company to shred them , where are they going to put them, as I believe fibreglass would not be allowed in land fill .
As always when politicians tell you the good bits to get votes, they leave out the bad bits .

[Roger-gdbc]

When i was approached by an Italian wind turbine company, 18 months ago, to install turbines on our prime farming land in northern Victoria, the very first question i asked was "Where is the bond kept?"
Would it be in a transparent account?
"Bond?" They said, "There's no Bond".
I said, "ok, how do you guarantee you have the funds to decommission these tower's and rehabilitate the farm?"
They said "After 15 years we divert a portion of the profits into an account, so we have the funds available in 25 years".
I said "What if you go broke in 10 yrs?"
Their response?
"Well, you can cut them up for scrap iron, and remove them yourself".
My response, "But you just said, there mortgaged to the ANZ Bank for $120, 000, 000 ?".
"I don't think the ANZ bank will agree to that"
Their response?
"It will be ok, just trust

[desobrien]

They are f'ing eye sores on the landscape...& seascapes.

[drcolster]

Wind Turbine, 15, 20 year life.... New Generation Nuclear Plant life, up to 70 years...

[gordonwells]

It’s the dirtiest joke in the history of energy provision…filthy dirty ruining our landscape.

[rjones]

The Levelized Cost is never considered, when they claim renewables are cheaper

[SalemikTUBE]

In London we have a Victorian beam engine pump that pumps shit. It's beautiful and is still doing it's job. Just saying.

[johnhilyer]

Wow, Green energy is the modern snake

[waverly]

Saw a vid about wind turbines. The principle is simple but the mechanics are insanely complicated. The windmill is slow rotation with high torque. A gearbox increases the rpm to around 1000 to drive the generator. The generator has to rotate at the right speed to produce 60 cycle AC.

[genesotdorus]

This is the dumbest thing ever . The amount of birds killed is atrocious saving the world . The cost never bring back anything.

[Peter-put]

renewable folly? thanks, but no thanks

[bjorn]

dont forget all the micro plastics that are released into the air from wind turbines

[rogermckinnon]

The Great Con, renewables. Even if it's in the contract, if they get sold to new companies, this condition is not always passed on into new contracts. Don't believe me. Look at places like California and in the north sea ect. Were thousands are just sitting abandoned.

[claytonburke]

Add those costs to the cost of mining materials and construction then multiply by the hundreds of thousands of wind generators. What a deal 😂😂😂

[jackuzi]

Images of bygone economies: 2000--a decaying steel mill 2100--an otherwise-beautiful landscape studded with giant metal poles, with the blades having fallen off decades ago

[jf]

There are some appalling images out of California of wind installations which are run down and left to stand for decades.