Deal soon expected to fix wind turbine that hasn’t spun since 2020

This spring, Bayonne’s dormant wind turbine may finally be on track to once again spin.

Out of commission since March 2020 due to a faulty generator and other operational issues, an agreement with manufacturer Leitner-Poma of America is expected in about 90 days, which would kickstart repairs of the 260-foot wind turbine, NJ Advance Media has learned.

Jay Coffey, corporation counsel for Bayonne, said yesterday that “very extensive and illuminating discussions and negotiations” with the manufacturer about repairing the $5.6 million turbine on Oak and Fifth streets are on pace to be completed at the end of April.

“This is the closest we’ve been since the turbine broke to having the situation rectified,” Coffey said over the phone yesterday. “I have every confidence this will get wrapped up and that turbine will be running soon ... the goal is to have them provide us with new or different repaired equipment.”

Additional details, such as the cause of the breakdown, the cost of repairing the wind turbine and where the money will come from were not immediately available yesterday, Coffey said while citing the ongoing negotiations.

The wind turbine, which first began spinning in 2012, also experienced operation failures from July 2015 to May 2016. Repairs in 2016 lasted for half a year before the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority encountered problems with a rotor brake. Replacing a broken bearing cost approximately $298,000.

The wind turbine is built to produce about 3.3 gigawatt hours of electricity per year — able to power 600 single-family homes for a year.