Hepburn council is worried about fractures developing in the Smeaton community, north of Ballarat, over plans for a wind farm in the region. Wind Power wants to erect at least 19 wind turbines and believes most people in the region are supportive. Opponents say 96 per cent of people are against it.

A recent report published by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has said large wind farms such as proposed here are not the way forward for New Zealand, the significant adverse impacts are avoidable by harnessing wind power using smaller clusters of small turbines servicing remote towns, and this will be better for the country. Unfortunately this report was published just after our hearing was completed.

Horizons Regional Council is encouraging other local bodies in the region to identify areas that should be protected from wind farm developments. Horizons met with the mayors and chief executives from Tararua, Horowhenua, Manawatu and Palmerston North this week to discuss renewable energy sources, particularly wind farms. There was general support for renewable energy in New Zealand, but questions were asked about whether wind farms benefited local and national communities.

Wind farms will be the topic of conversation when Horizons Regional Council holds a mayoral forum tomorrow. Mayors and chief executive officers from local district and city councils will gather to discuss the future of wind farms in the area, in a meeting that will be closed to the public. Horizons chief executive officer Michael McCartney said the meeting is aimed at seeing if councils want to create a strategy for dealing with wind farms, or remain with the status quo.

The number of turbines proposed as part of the Tuki Wind Farm project could increase. Wind Power, the company behind the 19-turbine proposal near Smeaton and Campbelltown, confirmed yesterday it was looking at the Clunes Ullina Rd as a possible location for more. The company's director Andrew Newbold said if the Clunes Ullina Rd was considered a suitable location for more turbines, the turbines would come under the Tuki proposal. However Mr Newbold stressed that if the consultation process showed strong community opposition, the number of turbines could potentially be lower.

The Dunedin City Council says the proposed Mahinerangi wind farm will have an adverse impact on its landscape, despite no turbines being built within its boundaries. TrustPower had initially proposed a wind farm which included land within Dunedin but, after consulta tion, it had scaled back its proposal to a 200MW wind farm, solely within the Clutha district. In a council submission yesterday, city council landscape architect Barry Knox said the wind farm would have a significant adverse effect on the broad natural character values of the Lammermoor range and its high country outstanding landscape area, within the Dunedin city.

A new commercial analysis is needed on the viability of a proposed windfarm at Makara, west of Wellington. The Environment Court has approved the building of 66 wind turbines across Makara Farm and Terawhiti Station. Meridian Energy once considered putting 107 turbines on the site, but lowered this to 70 to make getting resource consent more likely. That number has now been cut to 66 by the Environment Court in a 152-page ruling. The company says reducing the number to 66 might stop the windfarm going ahead altogether.

Farmers in the Paerau-Styx community might not be so willing to give their neighbours a helping hand if a wind farm is built in the area. The community is clearly divided on the issue and it was obvious at the Project Hayes hearing in Alexandra yesterday. On one side of the room sat the landowners who will have turbines built on their property, making submissions in support of Meridian Energy. On the other side were those who will have to look at the turbines out their lounge window on the Lammermoor Range, and they are not happy about it.

The ecology in the area where the proposed Mahinerangi wind farm will be built is not unique, and will suffer little damage during construction of the $400 million project. Ecologists gave evidence on behalf of applicant TrustPower yesterday, as the company continues to outline its proposal.

Meridian Energy says there are still more steps to go through before the wind farm near Wellington that's been given Environment Court approval goes ahead. The Court has approved 66 of the 70 turbines that Meridian Energy had planned at Makara. Meridian says the windfarm would produce enough energy to supply most of the Wellington region. Its Chief Executive, Keith Turner, says he's pleased with the decision. But he says a commercial analysis still has to be completed, tenders obtained for construction, and the company needs to confirm it has the money for the project, before it will definitely go ahead. Mr Turner says there's also the possibility of an appeal against the decision.

Environment Minister David Benson-Pope says the Environment Court has given the go-ahead for a windfarm at Makara, near Wellington. Mr Benson-Pope says the court has approved construction of 66 of the 70 turbines planned for Meridian Energy's West Wind Project. Meridian has said the project would be big enough to provide electricity to 110,000 homes. It says there are still many issues to resolve before the windfarm can definitely go ahead.

The Government's call for more renewable energy is being hobbled by slow consent processes for wind farms, prompting Environment Minister David Benson-Pope to call in chief environment judge John Bollard to discuss the delays. The meeting comes as a row simmers between the Government and state generator Meridian over its planned 630-megawatt Project Hayes wind farm in Otago.

Much of the valuable land originally proposed for the the Mahinerangi wind farm proposal has been spared, TrustPower says, while the company has possibly gone too far in evaluating the scheme's environmental impact. In the opening day of the Mahinerangi wind farm proposal yesterday, TrustPower counsel Jason Welsh said the project was vital for the future generation needs of the region and the country.

A Government submission in favour of Meridian Energy's proposed Central Otago wind farm says it will benefit all New Zealand, a hearing was told yesterday. Crown Law office solicitor Roanna Chen told commissioners hearing the application in Alexandra that the Government recognised "the many positive benefits this proposed wind farm would have on achieving the Government's current and future policy". However, commissioner David McMahon questioned the "whole of Government" approach when a key department, the Department of Conservation (DOC), had submitted separately against the proposal. "I find that a bit of an anomaly given the position of DOC," he said.

Australia's biggest retail energy provider AGL has bought the rights to develop another wind farm in South Australia. The 71-megawatt farm will be located just 20 kilometres from AGL's Hallett Hill wind farm being built in the state's mid north. The company aims to put 34 wind turbines on the new site, which could be up and running by 2009.

A wind farm will be built at Morton's Lane, north-east of Penshurst, after the Southern Grampians Council voted to support the project. Moyne council approved the development earlier this week. The wind farm will straddle the border between the two municipalities.

Wind farms belong in the "never-never" and not on the coast, according to Moyne Shire councillor Jim Doukas.

TWO more wind farms valued at $98 million are expected to be approved by Moyne Shire Council.

South Taranaki residents are being urged to attend public meetings to give their views on the proposed wind farm near Waverley. The meetings, which will be held in Waverley on Friday and Patea on Saturday, are an opportunity for residents to meet with managers from Allco Wind Energy to find out more information about the proposal and discuss any concerns they may have.

A group of residents took their opposition to a proposed wind farm on a reserve near Palmerston North to the High Court at Wellington today. In August 2005 the Palmerston North City Council signed a partnership deal with Mighty River Power to develop a $300m wind farm on the reserve, 10km east of the central city. The original plan said the farm would have at least 40 turbines, generating about 120-150MW electricity, and Mighty River Power would make an annual payment to the city. The reserve was previously designated as being for local purposes, water supply and the protection of flora and fauna. But in October last year the council added another use, allowing it to be used as a renewable energy resource. The Friends of the Turitea Reserve Society are seeking judicial review of the council's decision to change the purpose to accommodate energy generation.