A Perth wind turbine’s blades have broken off and smashed near a public path on the edge of the city due to an “engineering fault”.
Blades from the ten-month-old turbine came crashing down at Aviva’s Pitheavlis site in the early hours of Friday morning.
The insurance firm said the blades “detached” from the wind turbine and smashed to the ground around 1am.
The wreckage crashed down just metres away from the Buckie Braes public footpath.
STV News images show the turbine’s tower still standing, with the broken blades lying nearby.
STV NewsThe firm said the incident appears to the result of “some type of engineering fault”.
“Our on-site security team observed that the turbine arms had detached from the wind turbine shortly before 1am this morning,” an Aviva spokesperson said.
“Thankfully no-one was injured in the incident, and of course safety remains our top priority.
“From initial investigations, it appears that this is the result of some type of engineering fault.”
Firefighters were called to the scene to ensure there was no physical or fire risk following the collapse.
STV NewsAviva’s spokesperson added: “The area has been secured, and we are working with the supplier to establish the root cause of this incident, as well as on a plan to repair the turbine and restore it safely to operation.”
The wind turbine was officially opened by Aviva on the Pitheavlis site in November as part of their renewable infrastructure.
The turbine and pre-existing solar panels were expected to generate 100% of the electricity demand at the site, allowing the firm to go “off-grid”.
The turbine was approved by Perth and Kinross council in October 2022 and built in October 2024.
Perth and Kinross Council and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have been contacted for comment.
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