A GOVERNMENT minister admitted he didn't realise turbines planned for a massive windfarm off the North Wales coast would stand higher than Blackpool Tower.

Premier Denis Napthine has declared his personal love for wind turbines, but says his government's restrictions to where they can be built won't change. Dr Napthine on Friday launched the Macarthur wind farm in Victoria's south-west, the largest wind energy project in the southern hemisphere.

Indiana Michigan Power has invited 250 residents of Jay, Randolph and Wayne counties to meetings next week to discuss the possibility of developing a wind farm. The electric utility is seeking people willing to lease their land to I&M for the installation of two or three 200-foot meteorological towers to collect wind data. If the data show that a wind farm is feasible, either I&M or a developer would plan to lease land for the installation of wind turbines, typically 50 to 70 of them, each taller than the Statue of Liberty with rotors the size of jumbo-jet wings, said I&M spokesman Mike Brian.

"E.ON is able to sell us that power at a far better price than if we had built our own wind farm. E.ON brings a great deal of experience in building wind farms here and in Europe. They have extraordinary economies of scale.

Indiana Michigan Power has a range of energy sources — coal, nuclear power, hydroelectric power. Eventually, wind could be added to the list. I&M announced Wednesday that it would place meteorological test sites in east-central Indiana to explore the economic and technical feasibility of building a wind farm in the area. This is the first time for I&M to do any wind testing in Indiana, said David Mayne, spokesman for I&M.

Supporters of Initiative 937, the renewable energy measure on the Nov. 7 ballot, have out-raised their opponents by a 4-to-1 margin heading into the final two weeks of the campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Washingtonians for Cleaner Cheaper Energy had collected $1.52 million and spent $1.46 million as of Oct. 10, while No on I 937 had raised $372,615 and spent $67,785. Leading the pro-initiative campaign funding is the Sierra Club and its political action committee with combined in-kind contributions of more than $132,000. The initiative addresses two of the Sierra Club’s top priorities, which are air quality and public health, said Sierra Club associate regional representative Shannon Harps.

Ian Bowles, the state's top environmental official and Gov. Deval Patrick's right-hand man on the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm, is stepping down.

Bowles said he's still leery of any FERC plan, saying it's a "slippery slope" toward a more centralized national electric system that could harm Bay State ratepayers and the state's efforts to promote renewable fuels. "We're concerned," said Bowles, adding there has "certainly been Soviet-type thinking" surrounding the entire concept.

The state Department of Public Utilities, which is reviewing the National Grid-Cape Wind rate agreement, should "not approve any long-term contracts (under the state law) until out-of-state generators have received an equal opportunity to bid and to have their bids evaluated on their merits," TransCanada said.

Spanish utility giant Iberdrola wants to invest $2 billion developing wind power farms across New York state, the company said today. But that funding hinges on the state Public Service Commission's acceptance of the Iberdrola's proposed purchase of Energy East Corp. (NYSE: EAS) and its 63,000 customers in the Albany, N.Y., area. Iberdrola's $4.5 billion acquisition of Energy East was announced last June. Now, Iberdrola, which is the second-largest wind energy operator in the country, appears to be upping the ante. Earlier, it had committed to at least $100 million in renewable energy investments in New York.

Iberdrola SA, the world’s fourth-largest utility, said today it will go ahead with its $4.5 billion purchase of Energy East Corp., parent of Rochester Gas and Electric and New York State Electric and Gas. The Spanish company said it accepts the conditions set by the state Public Service Commission, which include $275 million in rate relief for RG&E and NYSEG customers. “Iberdrola is pleased to accept this opportunity to help the Empire State meet its energy, environmental and economic goals,” said Ignacio Sanchez Galán, Iberdrola chairman and chief executive.

Iberdrola Renewables is considering options for Horse Creek Wind Farm about two weeks after it told the Clayton Planning Board it was suspending its application. While the company insists it was an internal decision, its representative did admit that the nearby Indiana bat population was a consideration. Indiana bats are an endangered species and there is a hibernation spot near the proposed wind project. The bats also have been affected by white nose syndrome, the mysterious ailment that has killed thousands of bats. The loss of the endangered species to disease has made federal wildlife experts even more sensitive to losses induced by man.

The developer wants to put up two test towers, again to collect information for Horse Creek Wind Farm, said Iberdrola Communications Manager Paul N. Copleman by e-mail. "We are unsure of what the Horse Creek boundary looks like at this time," he wrote. "That's why we are seeking to erect these two met towers, so we can gain a better understanding of the wind resource."

Albany officials with Iberdrola SA reiterated Thursday the Spanish company is ready to walk away from its $4.5 billion acquisition of Energy East Corp. if state regulators continue to require the sale of wind-farm assets in New York state. The issue appears to be the most divisive between Iberdrola and staff at the Public Service Commission, the state agency with final regulatory say over the deal. ...The PSC staff argues that if Iberdrola were to maintain ownership of Maple Ridge and develop other wind farms, it would have too much sway in the state's wholesale power market, a key component of its deregulated energy industry.

Chairman Larry Stickney said although most residents in town may not have any financial interest in the project, they do have "intrinsic values" and an interest in the scenic nature of the town. "I've known Forbes Mountain all my life, and it's a landmark for the people who live here," Stickney said. "People feel there's an intrusion into their world with those big machines."

"We want to have a road agreement," he said. "We are not trying to get out of it. Right now we have two requirements to repair the roads and a road agreement would be a third." He went on to explain that if the commissioners pass a resolution so Iberdrola can operate under the provisions of SB 232, then the company must repair the roads.

"The rating is Iberdrola's number one priority. A downgrade to junk would be fatal, and if it feels more pressure from the agencies it will get even more aggressive with asset sales," one source with direct knowledge of the matter said on condition of anonymity, given the confidential nature of the sales process. ... Moody's rates Iberdrola Baa1, two notches above junk, with a negative outlook.

, Iberdrola's chairman said, Spain had spent millions subsidising relatively costly renewable energy technologies such as solar power ..."It makes no sense," Mr Galán said in an interview with the Financial Times. "Spain is installing the most expensive technologies in Europe instead of looking for those which are cheapest."

The state Public Service Commission staff is advising against the proposed takeover of Energy East, the parent of Rochester Gas and Electric, by the Spanish utility Iberdrola SA. The recommendation doesn't mean the $4.5 billion deal won't go through, but it does put up a barrier that the companies will need to overcome.

Shares in Iberdrola SA (IBE.MC) plunged Wednesday as its announcement to increase its capital by EUR1.325 billion raises questions about the viability of its divestment program. Iberdrola Wednesday said it will issue 250 million new ordinary shares, at a price of EUR5.30 each. That increases the company's capital by 4.9977%.