Centrica is considering plans for several wind farms, to be built by 2015, at a current estimated cost of £3bn. But it is worried about how it can plan for long-term investments that could spiral out of control. The Government has laid down targets for energy companies to build 33 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2020. Three years ago, the industry estimated meeting this figure would mean investment of about £40bn. Mr Sambhi said the cost today is put at £80bn, adding: "If manufacturers cannot meet the product delivery cycle it threatens the Government's wind dream."

A major conference on renewable energy opens in Stornoway today while the Western Isles wait for news on whether Lewis is to host Europe's largest wind farm. The event is being held by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Western Isles Council, which has backed Lewis Wind Power's bid for a 176-turbine development. The Scottish Government has said it is "minded to refuse" the project but has yet to make a final decision. Jim Mather, the minister for enterprise, energy and tourism, will address the conference but he is not expected to announce a decision on the wind farm.

Ireland on Wednesday awarded four offshore oil and gas exploration licences to three groups, which included Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), in a bid to reduce the country's dependence on imported fuels. The licences cover block areas totalling 4,963 square km in the Porcupine Basin, off the west coast, the energy ministry said. ...The country has tried to boost the development of renewable energy by introducing government-backed guaranteed prices for offshore and onshore wind farm generation.

Wales is in danger of being smothered "in a blanket of wind turbines," says the Conservatives assembly environment spokesman. Darren Millar AM told delegates at the Welsh party's conference in Llandudno that the assembly government had a "blind obsession" with wind power. Mr Millar said the Conservatives were not against wind energy, only large scale windfarms. He said the current policy was leading to a "massive democratic deficit". Mr Millar said the decisions of local councillors were being ignored and the views of local communities disregarded.

British energy minister Malcolm Wicks has given the all clear to three wind farms in England as the government tries to clear a backlog of clean energy projects and hit ambitious renewable energy targets. Two of the projects are onshore wind farms in North Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire, while the third is an offshore project planned for the Thames Estuary. "These three new wind farms will add a further 215 megawatts of green energy to the renewables revolution that is sweeping through the UK," Wicks said in a statement.

A record number of wind farm projects were refused planning permission in Britain last year, according to new figures seen by The Observer. The average amount of time taken to decide whether to approve a project - 24 months - is also at a record high. The figures will be published by the British Wind Energy Association later this month. ...These difficulties, as well as soaring costs, seem to be putting developers off submitting new applications.

David Cameron is to abandon plans for "green" taxes amid fears of a backlash from voters unhappy about having to pay for climate change. A leaked policy paper commissioned by the Tory leader warns that action on the environment is too often seen in terms of "consumer sacrifice". Instead the document urges Cameron to copy the more positive "can do" strategy of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California governor, who has invested huge sums in businesses developing green technologies.

The Dyfnant Forest is to be developed into one of the largest wind farms in the country it has been revealed - just weeks after Rhodri Morgan told the County Times how Powys has got off scot free. During his recent visit to Welshpool, First Minister for Wales Rhodri Morgan dismissed suggestions that Mid Wales is a dumping ground for wind turbines by claiming none of the plans to lease Forestry Commission managed land for the construction of wind farms fell inside Powys. However, while claiming Powys had got off scot free, he failed to mention four sections of freehold Forestry Commission land earmarked for development ...These claims have left a sour taste among residents and organisations in the Dyfnant Forest, who are now labelling Rhodri Morgan as either 'ignorant or a liar.' ..."Thousands of pounds of European money has been invested here, but if this plan for turbines goes ahead it will become a wind farm ghetto and a place no tourists will want to visit."

The Minister invited comment on the guidance which is intended to assist developers to identify appropriate locations for wind turbine and wind farm developments. She said: "Energy from wind has an important role to play in helping reduce emissions of the harmful greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. We in Northern Ireland are well placed to take advantage of this form of renewable energy, benefiting as we do from one of Europe's best wind resources. "However, it is vital to ensure that turbines and wind farms are located in the right places and that the landscape quality of our most scenic areas is maintained.

Developers behind proposals for a multi-million pound wind farm on the island of Lewis are due to meet government officials. The meeting comes after ministers said they were "minded" to turn down the application from Lewis Wind Power. It wants to site 181 massive wind turbines on Barvas Moor. Almost 10,000 objections went to ministers, many from local people, but the scheme has been backed by the local council. ...The final decision on the planning application rests with the Scottish Government.

Europe is facing an energy crisis because of green-influenced legislation and regulation, and difficulty in obtaining planning approval for key projects, energy companies warned yesterday. ...Teyssen urged the EU to avoid putting all its eggs into the renewables basket, arguing that they could cause more harm than good if national and cross-border grids were incapable of meeting the growth in their use. "You need a broader picture; you can't just say green is good," he said. However, the British government rejected the suggestion and said its energy market was the most competitive and liberalised in the EU and G7, encouraging investment from firms such as E.ON.

Ambitious plans to meet up to a third of Britain's energy needs from offshore wind farms are in jeopardy because the Ministry of Defence objects that the turbines interfere with its radar. The MoD has lodged last-minute objections to at least four onshore wind farms in the line of sight of its stations on the east coast because they make it impossible to spot aircraft, The Times has learnt. The same objections are likely to apply to wind turbines in the North Sea, part of the massive renewable energy project announced by John Hutton, the Energy Secretary, barely two months ago. They would be directly in line with the three principal radar defence stations, Brizlee Wood, Saxton Wold and Trimingham on the Northumberland, Yorkshire and Norfolk coasts. Giving evidence to a planning inquiry last October, a senior MoD expert said that the turbines create a hole in radar coverage so that aircraft flying overhead are not detectable. In written evidence, Squadron Leader Chris Breedon said: "This obscuration occurs regardless of the height of the aircraft, of the radar and of the turbine." He described the discovery as alarming.

An attempt to block a major wind farm project on a Scottish island has been thrown out by the Court of Session. Campaigners claimed the granting of planning permission by Highland Council for 18 turbines on Skye was illegal and wanted it overturned. It was claimed the turbines would present a danger to rare birds, such as golden eagles. Amec Project Investments had applied for permission for the development at Edinbane on the island, which Highland Council granted last May. ...In a 30-page judgment, Lord Hodge found against the campaigners and dismissed their petition. He said: "While the documents which comprised Amec's environmental statement fell far short of the ideal statement, I am satisfied that the respondents did not act illegally in accepting them as an environmental statement in this case."

The chief executive of National Grid last night spoke of the "extremely challenging times" facing the energy sector. ...Mr Holliday said the economic imperative to tackle climate change was clear, while all types of energy - from renewables to coal - were needed to meet the challenges facing the UK in the next 15 years. "Gas will remain a critical energy source for homes, business and manufacturing for many decades to come," he said. "It will also provide the lion's share of the electricity generation in the short to medium term." ...He said, "Do not read into this that I do not support significant increases in renewables. I am absolutely behind this but it's not clear to me whether the real aim is to reduce greenhouse gas or to increase renewables. "It does not follow that the quickest and cheapest way to reduce greenhouse gas by 2020 is only by renewables."

Western Isles Council is seeking an urgent meeting with the Scottish Government to discuss "effective and alternative investment" for the islands if a controversial wind farm is rejected. The Government indicated last week it is "minded to refuse" Lewis Wind Power's (LWP) plans for a 181-turbine development, although a final decision has yet to be made. The news was welcomed by environmentalists, but disappointed Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, which sees the project bringing much-needed employment to the islands. In a letter to Alex Salmond, the First Minister, the council convener, Alex Macdonald, says rejection would be "the wrong decision for the Western Isles, for renewable energy and for Scotland". He says a negative decision would imply the Western Isles is "closed for renewable energy business in future, and that environmental considerations are the principal, and dominant, factor in considering applications for renewable energy developments in the Western Isles".

Councillors from the Western Isles are to take their campaign backing the construction of a major wind farm on Lewis to the European Union. It is understood that the Scottish Government is "minded" to refuse the 181 turbine scheme. Angus Campbell, vice convener of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said a meeting with Enterprise Minister Jim Mather on Monday was "constructive". Mr Campbell said he would raise the project at a major event in Brussels. As one of the key speakers at the EU's Sustainable Energy Week, he will argue that European environmental designations were not supposed to stop all development in island communities.

Yesterday, the "naes" could scent victory in the air when the Scottish Government wrote to the developer, Ameco, saying it was "minded to refuse" planning permission. However, ministers gave the company 21 days to address the concerns listed in a 14-page letter. The fate of the Lewis wind farm is far from just a barrage of hot air among island folk. It goes to the heart of Scotland's attempt to generate 50 per cent of its electricity using renewables, such as hydro, wave or wind power, by 2020.

There was outrage last night after the Scottish Government issued a press release stating permission had been granted for a massive wind farm in rural Perthshire-only to claim 16 minutes later there had been an "administrative error." The astonishing blunder left campaigners both devastated and deeply suspicious. Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser last night called for a "full investigation." An application for the huge 68-turbine Griffin wind farm close to Aberfeldy was previously rejected by Perth and Kinross Council following massive public opposition. A public inquiry was then held and the final decision lies with ministers. The bizarre drama began when the Scottish Government distributed a press release headed "Green light for Scotland's third largest wind farm."

The BBC's Gaelic news service, Radio nan Gaidheal, has learned that Scottish Government ministers are "minded to refuse" the 181 turbine scheme. More than 5,000 letters of objection to the proposals were received by the Scottish Government. It is believed environmental concerns are behind the decision. An official announcement from the Scottish Government is not expected for a further two or three weeks. A Scottish Government spokesman said: "No final decision has been taken and ministers are working towards finalising and announcing a decision in the near future." ...But the final decision on the planning application rested with the Scottish Government. The news was welcomed by local anti-wind farm campaigner Dinah Murray, who said the refusal would allow islanders' lives to return to normal.

Britain will be forced to build thousands more wind turbines in the countryside under a Brussels edict to be announced tomorrow. Energy experts say new EU climate change targets mean the UK will have to generate 40 per cent of its electricity from green sources within 12 years. In order to meet that target, the number of wind turbines on the land would have to rise fourfold. Thousands more would be needed at sea. The move would be one of the greatest engineering projects in years - and dramatically change the skyline of Britain and its coastal waters.