Asbestos has been found in turbines built and operated by a Chinese renewable energy giant at wind farms in Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria.
Goldwind Australia, the local subsidiary of Chinese Communist Party-run Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd, confirmed the hazardous material had been detected in brake pads used in wind turbine lifts that were imported by another Chinese company, 3S Industry.
The white asbestos was found at the Cattle Hill Wind Farm in central Tasmania, and WorkSafe Victoria and SafeWork NSW confirmed on Friday that a number of other sites were affected, and said investigations were underway.
Goldwind has built hundreds of wind turbines at farms in the three affected states, as well as in Queensland and Western Australia, and was founded by CCP member and former National People’s Congress representative Wu Gang with Chinese government funding.
A Goldwind Australian spokesperson told ABC News access to the contaminated sites had been restricted and regulatory authorities informed after the discovery.
“All staff access to the affected turbines with 3S lifts has been restricted across the entire Goldwind Australia fleet,” the spokesperson said.
“A comprehensive material and air testing program is underway to check for asbestos in other spare brake pads and in wind turbines.”
Operator Beijing Energy International updated the websites for the Gullen Range and Biala wind farms in NSW, which have more than 100 turbines combined, to say asbestos had been detected at Biala but not at Gullen Range.
Worksafe Victoria told The Australian the imported brake pads were supplied for use in lifts at a number of different jurisdictions, and was taking steps to limit exposure.
“WorkSafe is working with the product supplier as well as other interstate and national regulators to determine and communicate associated risks and control measures, which include ensuring access to impacted wind turbine towers is restricted until the products can be safely removed and replaced with a suitable alternative,” a spokesman said.
The level of contamination is unclear, and there have been no warnings of risk to workers or contractors, and WorkSafe Tasmania said there was no risk to the community from the Cattle Hill site.
The importation of asbestos or goods containing the hazardous material into Australia has been illegal since 2003, but earlier this month the discovery of contaminated Chinese-made coloured sand sparked nationwide recalls and warnings, and the closure of schools and childcare centres.
Earlier this year research found that foreign-owned wind farms raked in $689 million from unknowing Australian energy consumers in 2024 as part of Labor’s efforts to prop up renewables.
The federal government’s Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) subsidy scheme requires electricity retailers to purchase certificates from renewable energy producers to enable them to remain competitive.
Renewable energy power stations sell their certificates depending on the amount of electricity generated, and the retailers pass the costs on to consumers who then pay an LRET charge that is not shown on household bills.
As a result a total of $1.04 billion was funnelled into the country’s 50 largest wind farms last year, and the 35 which are entirely or partially foreign-owned took $689 million of that.
Goldwind wind farms in Australia and the number of turbines at each:
- Gullen Rang Wind and Solar Farm (NSW) – 73
- White Rock Wind Farm (NSW) – 119
- Biala Wind Farm (NSW) – 31
- Coppabella Wind Farm (NSW) – 75
- Milpilling Wind Farm (NSW) – 84 (proposed)
- Moorabool Wind Farm (Victoria) – 104
- Stockyard Hill Wind Farm (Victoria) – 149
- Mortons Lane Wind Farm (Victoria) -13
- Clarke Creek Wind Farm (Queensland) – 100
- Cattle Hill Wind Farm (Tasmania) – 48
- Kathleen Valley Wind Farm (WA) – 5
- Agnew Hybrid Renewable Microgrid and Bellevue Gold Project (WA) – 5
- Esperance Renewables Hub (WA) -2
- Tropicana Power Station (WA) – 4
- Jundee Mine Power Project (WA) – 4
- Mt Weld Power Station (WA) – 4
Header image: Cattle Hill Wind Farm (Goldwind Australia).
