The Western Australian Opposition has laughed off suggestions that the Commonwealth is attempting to stymie the development of wind farms in Western Australia.

Opponents of Contact Energy's proposed $1 billion-plus wind farm in Waikato are considering legal action to force the power company back before a board looking at the application. Contact won a year's adjournment to its application after deciding it had more work to do.

For a $90 million project, Ventus Energy's proposed 22-turbine Te Anga wind farm has generated curiously little paperwork.

Businessman Ross Townshend admits there's an element of a "not in my backyard" position in his opposition to a wind farm in the Waikato. His grumpiness about the project extends to calling former Environment Minister Trevor Mallard a duck and Contact Energy, one of our largest energy companies, incompetent. His position on wind farms generally is that they are an expensive form of energy generation getting a green light because of green politics.

A joint hearings panel made up of Waitomo District Council and Environment Waikato councillors will this week consider the $225 million plan against a Waitomo District Council officers' report and a Conservation Department submission recommending it is turned down because turbine blades could kill birds - including nationally endangered indigenous species.

The power giant this week offered a $750,000 deal as a way of compensating the people of townships such as Alfredton, Castle Hill and Tinui for problems associated with construction of the $1.6 billion Castle Hill Wind Farm that could not be otherwise mitigated.

A proposal to build a $180 million wind farm along the hill ridges at Waterloo has been dusted off after sitting on the shelf for the past three years. Initially proposed by Hydro Tasmania, now Roaring40s, the 39-turbine wind farm got the official nod of approval from local councils in 2005. Roaring40s public relations and communications manager Josh Bradshaw visited the region last week and spoke to Clare and Gilbert Valleys and Goyder councils about the project and plans to expand on the original development, to include turbines at Stony Gap and Robertstown.

Acciona Energy has announced it will not proceed with a wind farm at Waubra North, near Evansford.

Three years after its development, the Waubra Wind Farm still divides the broader Ballarat community. Some locals love the step towards renewable energy, while others believe they're unattractive, impede on country landscapes and cause health issues for those in close proximity.

Palmerston North Mayor Jono Naylor says city councillors were in the dark about the scale of the proposed Turitea Wind Farm when they made it possible for the project to get off the ground. Councillors were familiar with Mighty River Power's plans in the Turitea Reserve, but had only a vague idea of what the company envisaged on nearby private land, Mr Naylor said yesterday.

Hamilton's Wel Energy has jumped on the wind farm bandwagon with the announcement of a $140 million farm near Raglan.

Wellington Shire Council has rejected an application for a new wind farm at Devon North near Yarram. The application was to build nine 120 metre high wind towers capable of generating about 18 megawatts of electricity. Earlier this year, vandals cut down a wind monitoring tower worth about $40,000. The Mayor of the Wellington Shire, Malcolm Hole, says the community in the Yarram area is overwhelmingly opposed to the project.

Makara wind farm will be the "envy of the rest of the world" and become a symbol for Wellington, according to Meridian Energy chief executive Keith Turner. West Wind is expected to be the world's best wind farm, but the plan has been strongly opposed by residents concerned about the noise and size of the giant turbines, some less than a kilometre from homes.

The turbines at Makara must stand up to winds of 'Formula One' intensity, says the site's maintenance manager. Photo / Mark MitchellMeridian Energy may have to adjust some turbines at the country's biggest wind farm near Wellington because of the power of "Formula One" type winds.

But world energy resources are adequate to meet this sustained growth trend because global oil reserves today exceed the cumulative projected production to 2030, IEA said. This optimistic outlook, however, is based on a reference scenario that IEA describes as "unsustainable." Under that reference scenario, primary world energy demand increases by an average rate of 1.6%/year, with fossil fuels accounting for 83% of the projected increase. By 2030, the world consumes 16.3 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (toe)/year—5.5 billion toe more than it does today—with more than two thirds of energy use coming from developing countries.

THE West Australian Government will fight a Howard Government decision to oppose a second wind farm, after labelling federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell's latest ruling "a joke".

West Wind Energy will today lead a tour of the site proposed for a wind farm south of Ballarat. The tour is the last part of a six day panel hearing into the company's plans for a 64 turbine wind farm at Mount Mercer.

"We are currently getting legal advice on how we can proceed with these works," resurfacing and contracts team leader Steve Wright said. Farmer Graeme Hook said the issue was a simple one - the section of road that has to be widened running through his property is not legal. He pointed to a Land Information New Zealand map that clearly shows a hefty section of the road is literally not classified as legal road.

A group trying to stop Meridian Energy's proposed $1.5 billion Project Hayes wind farm is changing tack with their arguments ahead of an Environment Court hearing to be held in Central Otago from May 19. Maniototo Environmental Society member Grahame Sydney said the group met lawyers in Queenstown on Friday to discuss changes to its argument against the development. Mr Sydney said the group's appeal would now have a more national approach, after the Government announced its Ministry for the Environment would be involved in the hearing process. ‘‘Our appeal was altered by the Government's determination to take this on to a level of national significance. We have to broaden our capabilities and include arguments being considered by the court now such as economic benefits to the nation,'' he said.

Mr Jochinke said Renewable Energy Systems had not contacted any of the area's farmers since the announcement of the amendment. He said the area's residents were keeping open minds on the project for now. He said if a wind farm was proposed to be built residents within two kilometres could object.