- Last Thursday a truck carrying a wind turbine tumbled off a mountain at Piekenierskloof Pass in Citrusdal.
- The truck driver had been carrying the abnormal load along with a traffic escort on the N7 when he lost control, said Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa.
- The driver, who got trapped inside the truck, unfortunately succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital.
Provincial Traffic Chief Kenny Africa says that the exact cause of the accident is still unknown. The driver was believed to be as an employee of a third-party contractor. The Spanish-German turbine manufacturer, Siemens said it will comment when further details are available.
Credit: Western Cape Traffic Department.
The accident highlights the perils of wind turbine and mast transportation as the industry pushes to develop sites in high wind speed yield areas which are often inaccessible. To date there has been no response to the accident from The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA). There has also been no response from the Independent Power Producer or EPC responsible for the project.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
