Latest attempt to repair Hull Wind II unsuccessful; turbine may be dismantled
By Carol Britton Meyer
While the expectation in June was that the Hull Wind II turbine would be back in service soon, that might not be the way the scenario plays out after all.
UP IN THE AIR. With repairs unsuccessful, Hull Wind II at the former landfill remains offline. The light board says that if another attempt to fix the turbine doesn’t solve the problem, the structure will be dismantled next year. [Richard W. Green photo from February 2024]
The Hull Wind I turbine at Pemberton Point was demolished recently, while Hull Wind II at the former landfill remains offline, awaiting repairs to its computer system.
At that time, the Hull Municipal Light Board was awaiting the arrival of bolts to replace ones that had broken off of the turbine.
While the parts were delivered, the repair didn’t solve the problem.
“There’s one more part coming that might help. However, if that doesn’t work, we will start moving forward with the process to have the turbine removed,” light board Chair Patrick Cannon told The Hull Times. “If that’s the case, it wouldn’t happen for another year or so.”
The Hull Wind II turbine generates enough energy to power 800 homes on an annual basis when working at capacity.
Although Vestas, the company that installed Hull Wind II in 2006, opted out of its maintenance contract with the town some time ago when the agreement expired, another company was hired to perform the necessary maintenance on the remaining wind turbine.
A rate study that’s in the beginning stages was another item on the recent light board meeting agenda.
“There’s nothing new to report at this time,” Cannon said. “We’re still waiting to hear back from MMWEC [Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company],” which is assisting with the study. This will include coming up with the light plant’s operating budget for the next three to five years.
“The cost of electricity and the costs associated with the line crews and the office staff, equipment, and other expenses will be considered, as any other business does,” Cannon explained earlier.
The non-profit MMWEC, through an energy partnership established in 1969, assists Massachusetts municipal light departments such as Hull’s with their needs to contract for energy.
Further discussions related to the rate study will take place at future light board meetings, with opportunity for public input.
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