Emergency response training is being conducted at the Paldiski wind farm

Enefit Green, together with the Estonian Wind Energy Association, the Rescue Board and other partners, will organize an exercise on June 18-21 to practice resolving an accident at a wind farm. This is the second such broad-based exercise to be held in Estonia.

According to Innar Kaasik, the board member responsible for Enefit Green's production in Estonia, new wind farms are being developed in Estonia, both on land and at sea, to increase the production of green electricity. "More wind turbines means that we must be ready to respond to possible incidents during wind turbine maintenance and other accidents. Accidents in wind turbines are rare, but solving them requires good preparation and cooperation. We must be ready to act and support rescuers in every way so that the provision of assistance is not delayed. This requires good cooperation and the flow of information, as well as readiness in the form of ensuring resources, guidance and access," said Kaasik.

"In the event of an accident in a windmill, it is critical to provide quick first aid and safely transport the victim to the care of medical personnel. Rescue work is complicated by the fact that it is a very tall structure and you need to know very precisely how to move around in the windmill. The aim of the exercise is to practice rescuers entering the windmill, climbing into the gondola at the top of the tower and transporting an incapacitated technician from a height of 85 meters to the ground," explained Indrek Agar, an expert from the Rescue Department of the Estonian Rescue Board.

According to Terje Talve, CEO of the Estonian Wind Energy Association, the exercises provide confidence for the future. “In 2022, we organized an exercise at the Enefit Green Aseriaru wind farm on the north coast, and now we are gaining practical experience at the Paldiski wind farm, and next time at the largest Enefit Green Sopi-Tootsi wind farm in the Baltics in Northern Pärnu County. Good cooperation with the rescue service, ambulance and police, and testing readiness provide confidence for a future where there are more wind turbines, but human safety is still the most important thing.”

All commandos and rope rescue specialists from Keila and Paldiski will participate in the exercise. The exercise will take place in the Paldiski wind farm area and will not disrupt traffic on public roads. In the spring of 2024, the next exercise will be held at the largest Enefit Green Sopi-Tootsi wind farm in the Baltics, where the wind turbine gondola is located at an altitude of 159 meters.

The Paldiski wind farm has been generating electricity since 2012. The farm has 18 wind turbines with a total capacity of 45 megawatts. The wind farm's nacelle is located at a height of 85 meters.