Retiring worn-out wind turbines could cost billions that nobody has | Energy Central

No, I believe what it was saying is that if maintenance is required, then they will need to be decommissioned: > The life span of a wind turbine, power companies say, is between 20 and 25 years. >"So we're coming in on 10 years of life and we're seeing blades need to be replaced, cells need to be replaced, so it's unlikely they're going to get 20 years out of these turbines," she said. The article then IMMEDIATELY says : > Estimates put the tear-down cost of a single modern wind turbine, which can rise from 250 to 500 feet above the ground, at $200,000. With more than 50,000 wind turbines spinning in the United States, decommissioning costs are estimated at around $10 billion. In Texas, there are approximately 12,000 turbines operational in the state. Decommissioning these turbines could cost as much as $2.3 billion. Which means landowners and counties in Texas could be on the hook for tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars if officials determine non-functional wind turbines need to be removed. Or if that proves to be too costly, as seems likely, some areas of the state could become post-apocalyptic wastelands steepled with teetering and fallen wind turbines, locked in a rigor mortis of obsolescence. So it goes from "Turbines are seeing signs of age to "tear down costs" and how companies will be steepled with teetering and fallen turbines. That's a big jump from "signs of needing maintenance" to "teetering and fallen turbines." Generally, you will budget for maintenance so that as long as the turbine is running and generating the revenue that producers get in Texas, they will keep replacing parts. When the costs to run and maintain exceed that revenue stream, it will come down, or most likely, be sold, leases and all. The article says : > Most wind farms, which pay landowners on average around $8,000 a year per turbine, have contracts with renewal clauses that stretch out to 50 or 60 years and then says > some of the smaller wind farm companies operating in Texas, with fewer financial resources, may be tempted to just walk away when aging turbines no longer spin a profit...."It could be a very ugly situation in the next five years when we see turbines need work, and are no longer under warranty and not generating enough electricity to keep running them," Linowes said. I see this as unrealistic, due to liability AND due to landowners not going to allow them to just walk away.