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31 August 2004
BRUSSELS – The authorities in the Belgian coastal town of Zeebrugge have decided to carry out emergency inspections of nearby windfarms after the propeller of a generator broke loose, it was reported on Tuesday.
Flemish daily Het Gazet van Antwerpen said the authorities had decided to carry out the inspections after the three tonne propeller blade became detached and was blown 100 metres through the air.
No one was injured in the incident but the propeller landed not far from a natural gas terminal operated by Fluxys, the company in charge of the Belgian gas network.
In the wake of the 30 July gas explosion in the town of Ghislenghien, which left 30 people dead, the Zeebrugge authorities are clearly taking no chances, Het Gazet van Antwerpen reported.
It is not yet clear why the propeller broke off, but some analysts have said the wind turbine it was attached to was relatively old.
[Copyright Expatica 2004]
Subject: Belgian news