As five workers plummet to their deaths at a Goldwind turbine installation, I’m left wondering how many more lives need to be sacrificed on the altar of “green energy” before we admit these renewable behemoths carry deadly risks.
At a Glance
- Five workers died during a Goldwind turbine installation after management was deemed “chaotic and ineffective” by government reports
- In a separate incident, 36-year-old technician Jess Patience was killed by a turbine blade at Australia’s Golden Plains Wind Farm
- WorkSafe Victoria has issued 22 compliance notices to the Golden Plains project since last March, conducting 117 site visits
- Unions have repeatedly raised safety concerns about inadequate standards in the renewable energy sector
- The renewable energy industry is criticized for lagging behind civil construction in safety protocols
Green Energy’s Deadly Price Tag
While the climate zealots keep shoving wind farms down our throats as the “clean” alternative to fossil fuels, they conveniently forget to mention the blood-soaked turbine blades spinning above our rural landscapes. Five workers plunged to their deaths during a Goldwind turbine installation in China, with government reports blaming “chaotic and ineffective” management by PowerChina and Shanghai Electric subsidiaries.
Naturally, Goldwind itself was absolved of responsibility – funny how these green energy companies always manage to distance themselves when bodies start piling up.
Meanwhile, in Australia, another renewable energy tragedy unfolded at the Golden Plains Wind Farm in Victoria, where technician Jess Patience was killed by a massive turbine blade. This wasn’t some freak accident in an otherwise pristine safety environment. WorkSafe Victoria has issued 22 compliance notices to this project since March last year and conducted a staggering 117 site visits. If you need government safety inspectors dropping by more than 100 times, maybe – just maybe – something is fundamentally wrong with your operation.
Union Warnings Ignored
In the wake of these tragedies, unions are finally getting attention for safety concerns they’ve been shouting about for years. The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) has repeatedly highlighted dangerous conditions at these sites, only to be treated like unwelcome party crashers by companies like Vestas. The Danish wind giant apparently finds union oversight inconvenient while they’re rushing to erect 228 massive turbines across the Australian countryside – the largest such project in the country.
“Jess is a CFMEU member and unfortunately his name is added to a list of workers who have tragically gone to work, never to return home again.”, says CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith.
The Australian Workers’ Union didn’t mince words about the state of these renewable projects either. “There’s parts of this site that are just a shambles,” said Ronnie Hayden, pointing out what should be blindingly obvious to anyone not blinded by green energy propaganda. The renewable energy industry is woefully behind civil construction when it comes to safety standards, yet we’re expected to applaud as they recklessly expand with government subsidies flowing like water.
Profits Over People
What’s particularly galling is how these incidents get downplayed by the same companies that lecture us about “sustainability.” After a turbine blade collided with a crane boom in a separate incident at Golden Plains, Vestas blandly noted that “nobody was injured” and that they “responded appropriately.”
How magnanimous of them to pause operations by the subcontractor until an investigation was completed. Perhaps they could have implemented proper safety protocols before someone died?
The rush to plaster our landscapes with these monstrous turbines has created an industry where corners are cut, safety is an afterthought, and workers are treated as expendable. When the Golden Plains project is completed, it’ll supposedly generate power for 765,000 homes and meet 9% of Victoria’s energy demand.
Noble goals, perhaps, but are they worth the human cost? The Biden administration and climate alarmists worldwide will never acknowledge these deaths as part of the “green transition” price tag – that would spoil their pristine narrative about saving the planet while they’re failing to save the workers building their utopia.
