Applications for wind farms that would generate more than 34,000 megawatts of electricity - almost three times the country's current generating capacity from all forms of energy - are being considered by the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE). At a time when the European Union is looking to strengthen its alternative energy policies and slash greenhouse gas emissions, Greece's energy regulators are apparently pinning their hopes on wind power to help meet ambitious energy targets. ...according to National Centre for Renewable Energy (CRES) president Yannis Agapitidis, within the land use plan are restrictions limiting the size of island wind farms to four percent of the area of that island. That would appear to make existing applications for farms on Skyros and Serifos, amounting to 330MW and 260MW, respectively, unviable.

Madrid has passed legislation to allow the installation of offshore wind parks along Spain's 4,000 kilometres of coastline. The move has been enthusiastically applauded by supporters of renewable energies but slammed not only by conservationists who fear the turbines will prove to be a chain of offshore eyesores, but by fishermen as well who are deeply concerned about the effect they will have on the local fishing industry.

Twenty-eight of the schemes are being developed by private companies including oil company Shell, wind energy firms Hibernian Wind Power and Atlanticwest Energy and the newly formed Liffey Cable Car Company. The remaining 25 schemes so far submitted to the planning board are being developed by State agencies including Bord Gáis, Bord na Móna, the Railway Procurement Agency, the Dublin Airport Authority, the ESB and several local authorities.

A MAJOR €620m offshore wind farm is being planned for a site in the North Irish Sea and could be up and running by 2013. Revealing details of the venture yesterday, Oriel Windfarm managing director Briasn Britton said the wind farm will have capacity to generate 330 megawatts of electricity. Preparatory work on the project has been under way for several years under the terms of a Foreshore Licence granted to Oriel in 2005.

The government of Spain on July 20 approved legislation that will allow offshore wind parks to be set up along the nation's vast coastline in an effort to boost the use of renewable energy sources. "This law will allow the installation for the first time of electricity generators in the ocean," the economy ministry said.

The Administrative Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal from the Swedish Municipality of Velling and granted Vattenfall permission to complete the construction of Lillgrund Wind Farm at a planned height of 115m

PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Renewable energy company Voltalia said it plans to build a new 44 megawatts wind farm in France, developed by Anelia, a joint venture of Voltalia and Anemos.

Residents on the remote Greek island of Skyros are engaged in a last-ditch fight to prevent the construction of one of the world's largest wind farms on a protected nature reserve. The plans have pitched the country's largest landowner, the Orthodox Church, against the islanders. Conservationists, echoing the debate across Europe, are split between those keen to expand Greece's renewable energy production and those who argue the destruction in this case would too great.

The permit application for the offshore wind farm slated for the North Sea has been approved. Now the partnership Evelop International and Ballast Nedam Concessies has the exclusive right to develop Scheveningen Buiten. Rijkswaterstaat Noordzee announced the approval includes the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The wind farm, Scheveningen Buiten, which will be built outside the 12-mile zone off the seaside resort of Scheveningen, approximately 30 kilometers (km) from the coast, is expected to be finished by 2011. It will generate more than 300 megawatts (MW).

MILAN, Italy, May. 11 (UPI) -- In order to continue its high rate of growth, the wind industry has many opponents to convert and obstacles to overcome. From siting to operation, wind project developers face a barrage of challenges. First, though regulations vary, you can't put a wind turbine within a certain distance of an area of national, historic or natural value. Also, unless residents are offered a share of the project, locals sometimes oppose them, citing aesthetic concerns.

German renewable energy group WPD's said Wednesday it was planning erecting a 500-600-megawatt offshore wind power park off Korsnäs on Finland's Gulf of Bothnia coast. If built, the generators would quintuple Finland's wind power generating capacity.

While most members of the European Union have joined in the push for wind energy, some, like Italy, face resistance. Anti-wind groups are pushing for a moratorium on new wind-power projects, claiming the wind turbines negatively affect the landscape and surrounding wildlife. They also say developers take advantage of residents in small towns with bad deals, and they question the reliability of a power source that is highly variable.

The view from the beach could be radically different soon with wind turbines replacing uninterrupted coastline before long. The government is proposing to introduce a law to allow wind turbines to be built offshore, the Spanish daily El Pais reported on Tuesday. They would stretch around 4,000 kilometres of Spain's coastline.

Councillor Jimmy Harte has called for a more structured plan to encourage the development of wind farms in the county following a recent decision by County Council to refuse planning permission to two potential wind-farm developers. "I don't quite think we've grasped the idea of wind energy here in Donegal yet. We need to designate certain zones or areas where we either do or do not allow the development of wind farms," stated Councillor Harte at this week's Letterkenny Electoral Area meeting. "As it is at the moment, farmers and investors; potential developers of these wind farms do not know where they stand."

VALLETTA, Malta (di-ve news) -- March 21, 2007 -- 1115CET -- The construction of a large scale wind farm on land would not be justified when considering its impact and the electricity generated, Minister Ninu Zammit said. In reply to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Charles Mangion on Tuesday, the Minister for Resources and Infrastructure tabled the report compiled by Mott MacDonald on 'Renewable Energy in Malta'. Minister Zammit said the report studied a number of sites on land for the generation of electricity from wind and the impacts associated with such wind farms. When considering such impacts, and in view of the fact that such a wind farm would only generate 1.06 per cent of electricity consumption in 2010, the Government concluded that the construction of large scale wind farms on land would not be justified.

Approval has now been granted for the construction of Thanet Offshore Wind Farm for which LDA Design undertook the Seascape, Visual and Cumulative Impact Assessment that was a core part of the Environmental Statement. Thanet Offshore Wind Farm will be sited 11km off North Foreland, Kent and will consist of 100 x 3MW turbines. The scheme is anticipated to be the first, and largest to date, of the Government's Round 2 Offshore Wind Farm developments and is due to come on line in 2008.

Clare County Council has approved the seventh wind farm in the county despite some local opposition. This follows German company Pro Ventum securing planning permission for a €10 million six-turbine wind farm at Tullabrack near Kilrush. It is the second wind farm that the company has secured permission for in the west Clare area and the previous proposal also faced opposition. Currently there are two wind farms operational in the county - the Pro Ventum wind farm at Monmore and the second 11-turbine wind farm near Connolly in mid-Clare.

The Environment and Public Works Ministry is in favor of developing wind farms on Greek islands but wants to place strict restrictions on such development. The Greek islands, buffeted by winds for most of the year, have great potential as wind park locations. Ministry officials estimate that as many as 7,000 turbines could be installed, producing about 14,000 megawatts of energy annually. Private investors are fighting over prime locations. The islands also happen to be among Greece’s major tourist attractions. An overdevelopment of wind farms would create both aesthetic conflicts and great noise pollution, as anyone who has visited a wind park can confirm. Thus, the new land use plan for renewable energy sources being prepared by the Environment and Public Works Ministry would limit wind parks to 4 percent of a municipality’s area (versus 8 percent on the mainland and on the island of Evia), which should limit the number of wind turbines to 2,000, producing some 4,000 MW of energy.

A windfarm is in the pipelines for Ballina. A planning application was submitted to the Council at the end of last year to construct a 29.9mw farm consisting of 13 turbines with a 64 metre hub height at Carrowleagh, Ballina. Permission is also sought for access roads to each turbine in addition to upgrade of existing roads, substation building and temporary contractors compound. Applicants Joseph, Martin and Michael Loftus, with an address in Charlestown, can expect a decision from planners on the project at the end of February.