Wellington, Aug 17 NZPA - Thieves apparently targeting copper wire at the Tararua wind farm have brought 31 turbines to a halt, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and risked electrocution, TrustPower says.

Vandals broke into the switchyard at the site, which is surrounded by a security fence and does not have security cameras, on Sunday night.

They broke in, tried to dig up some of the copper earthing wire and drained thousands of litres of oil from two transformers into a containment area.

"Whoever did it's put their lives at risk because it's extremely dangerous," TrustPower spokesman Graeme Purches told NZPA.

The area affected was the 93 megawatt third stage of the wind farm.

The bill for the damage was significant, with the loss of oil and repairs, as well as lost generation.

It was not clear if the turbines had been repaired.

(EDS: Expect lead later)

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