https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20250822-OYT1T50062/
At the Hamasato Wind Farm in Horonobe, Hokkaido, 11 "bird strikes" involving nationally protected white-tailed eagles and Steller's sea eagles have occurred in less than two years since operations began. The incidents forced the facility to suspend daytime operations for three and a half months.
The operator, a group company of major wind power firm Eurus Energy Holdings, has implemented new measures to prevent recurrence. However, one specific turbine that accounted for three of the strikes still has no clear timeline for resuming operation.
The Hamasato Wind Farm began commercial operation on May 26, 2023. It features 14 wind turbines, each about 150 meters tall, arranged in two rows along the coast. Prior to construction in 2014-2015, Eurus discovered two white-tailed eagle nesting sites and confirmed breeding pairs near the planned site. As a result, the company installed the turbines more than two kilometers from the nests. In its environmental impact assessment report submitted to the government, Eurus predicted that bird strikes would occur less than once a year.
However, the first collision was confirmed during a test run on May 9, 2023. By March of this year, 11 incidents had occurred across eight of the 14 turbines, resulting in the deaths of 10 eagles—both white-tailed and Steller's sea eagles—and one injured white-tailed eagle. This accounts for nearly half of the 25 bird strikes reported at wind farms in Hokkaido during fiscal years 2023 and 2024. In response, the company took the drastic step of stopping all turbines from one hour before sunrise until sunset.
An official from the Hokkaido Regional Environment Office of the Ministry of the Environment noted, "There is no precedent for this many consecutive collisions at a wind farm anywhere in the country." The official also pointed out that "the probability of bird strikes should be low if the preliminary surveys were appropriate." Another collision was confirmed at the facility as recently as this month. Eurus Energy Holdings stated that it takes the situation seriously and "will respond firmly to ensure that nature and wind power can coexist."
by 100rad