Article by Christine Middap, courtesy of The Australian
25.11.2025
The federal opposition is demanding a temporary halt on the installation of new wind turbines until a national audit is done to determine the scale of asbestos contamination, as the growing crisis spreads to a second manufacturer.
Weeks after Chinese-backed wind farm developer and turbine manufacturer Goldwind alerted authorities to the presence of white asbestos in brake pads in its internal turbine lifts, another major supplier to Australia – the Denmark-based Vestas – has confirmed it has also quarantined a number of turbines.
A sample has tested positive at TagEnergy’s $4bn Golden Plains wind farm, Australia’s biggest wind operation, at Rokewood, northwest of Geelong, which uses Vestas-branded turbines.
Vestas, which is delivering the procurement and construction for Golden Plains, is working with authorities and has implemented strict health and safety measures while more samples are collected for testing.
“Vestas has taken immediate action to ensure that the limited number of turbines that may have a risk of exposure to asbestos are quarantined, and hoists potentially replaced while further investigations are carried out,’’ a spokesperson said.
It comes as opposition industrial relations and employment spokesman Tim Wilson urged Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen to order a national safety review and temporary moratorium on new turbine installations, warning of the operational and reputational risks the issue posed to the country’s clean energy transition.
“The importation of asbestos-containing goods into Australia has been banned since 2003, yet this incident suggests that components containing asbestos may have been distributed widely within the renewable energy sector,’’ he said.
A federal government spokesperson said the matter was serious and state safety regulators were responding to it.
“This is an issue with a non-compliant imported component in turbine lifts,’’ the spokesperson said. “Importing goods that contain asbestos has been banned in Australia for more than 60 years, so where it turns up in imported equipment, we expect workplace safety regulators and agencies to come down on it very firmly.”
Renewable energy lobby group the Clean Energy Council said the industry was taking the matter extremely seriously. It has advised all its wind members to test for traces of asbestos across their supply chains.
“Extensive testing across the industry is under way as a precautionary measure,’’ CEC chief policy and impact officer William Churchill said.
He said the risk of community exposure was low and air quality testing by independent hygienists had not detected any airborne asbestos.
“The risk to maintenance workers has also been assessed by independent hygienists and considered very low given the concealed nature of the brake pads.”
Australia Border Force, which is responsible for preventing the importation of materials containing asbestos, is examining the matter and any potential enforcement action.
“State and territory workplace health and safety regulators are investigating and passing information to the ABF regarding suppliers so that we can assist with understanding the scope of the issue,’’ a spokesperson said.
Goldwind Australia said the asbestos brake pads, first identified at the Cattle Hill wind farm in Tasmania on November 10, were supplied by a third-party manufacturer, 3S Industry, which is headquartered in China.
Given that 3S is a major supplier of the part, regulators believe the problem will be widespread.
Renewable energy companies are staying quiet on the issue, with major players such as Squadron, Tilt Renewables and Tag Energy not responding to questions, while Beijing Jingneng Clean Energy Australia has provided updates on its websites, confirming that Biala wind farm in NSW is affected, while initial testing at Gullen Range is clear.
It is understood a number of properties in Victoria are also affected, while Queensland authorities are refusing to say whether any sites are involved in that state.
Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Farrow said the asbestos cases highlighted the risk of relying entirely on overseas supply chains for Australia’s renewables transition.
“Right now we are building these massive infrastructure projects with nearly zero per cent Australian content. That is unacceptable and unsafe,’’ he said.
“If we continue to blindly import all our parts from China, we can expect safety issues like this to keep occurring, putting Australian workers at risk.’’
In response to Mr Wilson’s call for a temporary moratorium, the CEC said that in confirmed cases, current regulations already ban the installation and use of known or suspected lifts or hoists within turbines for the duration of the investigation and until the impacted parts are replaced.
“While wind turbines can continue to be built, new lifts will not be able to be installed until testing across impacted sites is complete. We believe these measures are fit-for-purpose,” it said.
The asbestos discovery is the latest blow for Golden Plains wind farm, spruiked as the largest in the southern hemisphere. Last November, a 36-year-old subcontractor died after being crushed by a turbine blade and earlier this year Energy Safe Victoria ordered safety action after pieces of plastic serrated blade parts were ripped from unpowered turbines in high winds, blowing onto neighbouring properties.