Accidents do happen.

Safety systems can - and do - fail.

So putting huge turbines close to homes, a prison and a huge high pressure gas distribution pipeline at Gartree seems to be an accident waiting to happen.

Unusually the proposed site has a high pressure gas pipeline crossing it. Not the relatively low pressure domestic variety. This one supplies gas from the east coast to the major cities of the midlands at a pressure of about 70 bar.

The pipeline is approximately one metre in diameter - and classified by the Health and Safety Executive as a ‘Major Accident Hazard Pipeline.’

There is a pumping station within 2 kilometres east of the site with the next some 18 kilometres to the west.

So under normal conditions this section holds nearly 20 kilometres of gas at high pressure!

The location has a risk assessment plan by the Emergency Management Section of Leicestershire County Council which had its three yearly review in January 2009.

Obviously as no official planning application had been lodged at that time the introduction of turbines in close proximity was not considered.

Wind Turbines do catch fire - and because rural fire services are not equipped to fight a blaze 80 metres up a tower - turbine fires are usually left to burn themselves out.

This next video shows a turbine in the USA on fire, the commentary refers to burning debris being

strewn around. 

Turbines can catch fire and as the usual method of dealing with them is to let them burn themselves out, is it really sensible to place these massive structures so close to the pipeline?

At present it seems unclear who is legally responsible in the event of a catastrophic fire or explosion.

The picture below, taken in February 2009 from the Foxton to Lubenham road - looking east into the proposed development - shows how near the surface the gas pipe is and how tall and close the proposed turbines will be. The slender 50 metre anemometer is visible to the right of the picture.

Moving parts, the potential for fire, a high pressure gas pipeline of national strategic importance - not designed with the possibility of wind turbines being installed close by - and the whole lot within 650 metres of Gartree Prison, a main lifer centre with 575 inmates plus staff. Also within 650 metres of the settlement of Gartree and its residents.

Is this really an acceptable place to erect wind turbines?

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