Tag: asbestos

How Much Asbestos Do Wind Turbines Contain?

Following discovery of asbestos lift brake pads in Chinese manufactured Aussie turbines, turbine operators are conducting a frantic audit.

A dark, eerie scene featuring a figure holding a scythe, standing among wind turbines under a full moon, creating a spooky atmosphere.

From Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

Following discovery of asbestos lift brake pads in Chinese manufactured Aussie turbines, turbine operators are conducting a frantic audit.

Asbestos turbine threat spreads, as Tim Wilson calls for renewables supply chain investigation

More Australian windfarms have been placed under internal investigations for asbestos exposure, as a shadow minister calls for a probe into the nation’s renewables supply chain. 

Max Aldred and Conor Breslin
November 25, 2025 – 3:55PM

…

On Friday, operator Goldwind discovered asbestos in lift brake pads at its Cattle Hill wind farm in Tasmania.  

The Clean Energy Regulator, SafeWork New South Wales, and WorkSafe Victoria all launched investigations into the discovery.

The investigations prompted other wind farm operators to check their brake pads.

Over the weekend, Goldwind revealed they tested the parts – supplied by Chinese manufacturer 3S Industries – and found they did contain asbestos.  

…

Danish-owned Vestas, which operates more than one dozen projects across Australia, is also investigating any potential risks of asbestos exposure after ordering brake parts which may contain asbestos.  

…Read more: https://www.skynews.com.au/business/energy/asbestos-turbine-threat-spreads-as-tim-wilson-calls-for-renewables-supply-chain-investigation/news-story/d8d75319cb066c757bdf98762a7e44f3

According to their website 3S Industry specialises in industrial elevator and safety equipment, the kind of elevator platforms which carry technicians who want to service equipment on top of the turbine. But 3S Industry doesn’t just supply wind turbines, their products are also widely used in the construction industry. It seems unlikely asbestos brake pads were only used in wind turbines, so there could be asbestos contamination in office buildings, food sourced from farms adjacent to wind turbines which use 3S equipment, playgrounds and schools – anywhere 3S industry elevator or lifting equipment has been used.

I also doubt the scandal is limited to Australia. How much Asbestos is being used in British and US wind turbines lifts?

Is the scandal just confined to the lifts? Wind turbines also contain large friction clutches, which used to contain Asbestos until Asbestos was banned. Can we be sure there is no Asbestos inside Chinese turbine friction clutches, without dismantling them for inspection?

Asbestos is a long-term cancer risk, the fibers have been linked to Mesothelioma, a nasty form of cancer which mostly affects the lungs and stomach. The microscopic fibers get stuck in vulnerable tissues, where they cause long term irritation leading to cancer. While the risk rises with amount of exposure, it only takes one microscopic fiber stuck in the wrong place to potentially kill you.

Asbestos discovered in Chinese-made wind turbines

An urgent safety alert has been issued at wind farms across Australia after asbestos was discovered in Chinese-made wind turbines.

Photograph of several wind turbines situated in a serene landscape with water reflections and a cloudy sky.

An urgent safety alert has been issued at wind farms across Australia after asbestos was discovered in Chinese-made wind turbines.

The deadly material was first found in brake pads used in wind turbine tower lifts at the Goldwind Cattle Hill wind farm in central Tasmania. The Daily Mail Online has the story.

WorkSafe Victoria and SafeWork NSW confirmed on Friday that white asbestos was also found at a number of wind farm sites.

The state regulators, along with renewable energy company Goldwind Australia, launched an investigation into the issue.

Goldwind, which is a subsidiary of Chinese firm Goldwind Science and Technology, claimed the brake pads were supplied by 3S Industry.

3S Industry is a major Chinese-based supplier and one of a few brake pad suppliers in Australia.

The supplier has provided brake pads to numerous wind farms across the country and has been involved in several projects, including White Rock, Gullen Range and Biala in NSW, Clarke Creek in Queensland, and Moorabool and Stockyard Hill in Victoria.

The discovery has sparked fears the problem could be more widespread, with the hazardous material potentially affecting turbines throughout the country.

The brake pads are part of the turbine’s internal mechanism, with the level of risk of asbestos exposure to workers and contractors unclear.

There is also no suggestion the community has been exposed to the asbestos or that the environment has been contaminated.

Read the full story here.