Gulliver to turn again

LOWESTOFT'S landmark wind turbine should be turning again within days after being out of action for two weeks.The electrical fault was similar to the one that struck in the summer which stilled the blades for seven weeks.

LOWESTOFT'S landmark wind turbine should be turning again within days after being out of action for two weeks.

The electrical fault was similar to the one that struck in the summer which stilled the blades for seven weeks.

Matthew Clayton, operations director for Triodos Renewables, said: 'There's a controller in the cell at the top which manages the pitch of the blades and which way the turbine faces. There was a failure within it.

'We have been waiting for a replacement for that and for a connecting cable between that part and the base. We are working very hard to sort it out.'

He said the replacement parts had already been fitted and that the blades had to be checked over before the turbine could start turning again, but added that sourcing a cherry-picker to do so had proved difficult because of the weather conditions.

Now the turbine, called Gulliver, is expected to be back in action by the middle of this week.

Mr Clayton said the weather could also create a problem of ice build-up on the blades, which would only happen if they have not been turning for a period of time. He said: 'When they are turning all the time there's very little opportunity for moisture to catch and ice to build up.'