A two kilometre buffer zone from houses would make the proposed Glen Innes Windfarm unviable according to the project's developers, however they say they are hopeful of negotiating a compromise with critics of the project.

Details of a wind farm on rugged hills southwest of Brooklyn have been made public. The 28-turbine proposal for Long Gully will be discussed at public meetings in Wellington this week before a resource consent application is lodged with the city council in mid-December. State-owned Mighty River Power would own and operate the farm and Windflow Technology, a Christchurch turbine manufacturer, would construct it.

An Environmental Effects Statement was not required for a 282-turbine wind farm at Stockyard Hill because the project would not have a significant environmental impact. Planning Minister Justin Madden made the decision on September 29 after preliminary ecological investigations indicated there was unlikely to be significant effects on threatened fauna. In his decision, Mr Madden took into consideration the fact the project site mostly consisted of cleared agricultural land.

A breeding pair of wedge-tailed eagles has been killed at Roaring 40s' Woolnorth Bluff Point windfarm in the state's north-west. A spokesman for Roaring 40s said the company "gets as upset as anybody when there is a collision", but urged people to keep the deaths in perspective. The first eagle was killed on August 17 and a few days later its mate was also struck. ..."But every death of an endangered species is one step closer to the extinction of that species," Dr Woehler said.

The Project Hayes wind farm Environment Court hearing has been abandoned until next year after opponents won the right to present new evidence. Effectively this means all the expert witnesses for both Meridian Energy and appellant groups relating to landscape and visual effects as well as transmission might have to be recalled. The new evidence relates to cumulative effects based on the Mahinerangi wind farm.

Plans for a multimillion dollar wind farm near Crookwell have re-opened old wounds in the Yass Valley. ...Epuron sold the planning rights for the Gunning and Yass wind farm projects to Origin Energy in January and recently submitted environmental and engineering investigations for the Gullen Range wind farm project to the NSW Department of Planning for approval. The news has re-ignited the concerns and emotions of property owners in the Black Range area who continue to fervently oppose the building of turbine towers on Conroy's Gap.

Dr Lloyd said the overall effect of vegetation clearance would have a more than minor effect on the area's ecology, although the clearance would not occur in a single area, but would be dispersed in small areas across the site. In his written evidence, Dr Lloyd said road construction along the alignment of existing farm tracks would have minor effects on indigenous vegetation, but the construction of turbines, new roads, and significant extensions to existing roads would result in the clearance of indigenous tussock grassland which was more than minor.

A decision will be made in coming months on whether the Stockyard Hill Wind Farm needs an Environmental Effects Statement. Wind Power made the referral to the Planning Minister Justin Madden last month for its proposed 282-turbine wind farm. If Mr Madden finds the project would have a significant environmental impact, the company must prepare an EES document. Wind Power engineer Ross Richards said the company had worked with the Department of Sustainability and Environment to reduce possible environmental impacts, working out the best location for the turbines.

A wind farm being built in South Australia is threatening endangered animals and one of the nation's oldest trees, nearby residents say. SA Democrat Sandra Kanck, and some residents of Hallett, have asked Federal Environment Minister Peter Garret to stop part of AGL Energy's proposed wind farm around the mid-north town. ..."The Hallet 3 cluster of 32 turbines planned for the Mt Bryan area is only 20 metres from possibly the oldest tree in South Australia," Ms Kanck said. "The eucalyptus bicostata is a form of blue-gum that is unique to SA. "The wind farm also threatens vulnerable, endangered and rare plants and animals including the silver daisy, pygmy blue-tongued lizards and wedge tailed eagles.

"We're stunned that Mainpower is even considering this site as they claim to be environmentally responsible and there are alternatives nearby," said Dr Murray Parsons, chairman of the board, which represents the community interest in the work of the Department of Conservation. "The Mount Cass ridge where Mainpower wants to build ... is covered in dense bush extending down gullies on either side, and is a unique limestone landscape with its own special ecosystem." ...Mainpower was proposing to bulldoze a 10m wide access road, up to and along the mountain ridge, and to construct concrete footprints of up to 240sq m to support the construction of wind generators up to 80m in height.

"The proponents [of the wind farm] say 11 birds have been killed by wind farms [but] we believe the number might be slightly higher, possibly as high as 18 birds," he said. He says he describes the area as a "black hole" area for these birds because the wind farm area overlaps several territories of eagles. "With every death it allows an opening - if you like - for a bird from an adjacent area looking for a territory to move in," he said. "These birds then are essentially naive to the area - they don't recognise the turbines and they then in turn get killed. ..."It's a one-way trip into Woolnorth - they don't come out."

After days of detached and often numbing pontifications from hired consultants, it was a stark contrast yesterday to hear some of the closest residents bring a human face to the hearing in Ngaruawahia. "I can only speak from the heart and it is breaking," said Ohautira Rd resident Wendy Reid. She said up to 24 of the turbines would be directly visible from her home of 19 years. Ms Reid variously referred to the wind farm as "a glorified and cunningly gift-wrapped power station", "a gigantic monolith" and "visual pollution" which would cause catastrophic distress, anxiety and fear. "It is dividing friends, neighbours, and families in half," she said. "It is destroying lives and lifestyles and turning me inside out personally.

Contact Energy could face opposition to its proposed route for power pylons connecting the country's largest wind farm to the national grid. The company wants to put up to 218 wind turbines along a 40km stretch of coast between Raglan and Port Waikato. ...The plan has received support from farmers and local iwi, but the path of the pylons is more contentious. Franklin District councillor, Lionel Petterson, says the community is concerned about the environmental impact of another row of pylons in the area.

Melbourne Water spokesman Ben Pratt said the authority was committed to achieving the twin targets of zero net greenhouse gas emissions and 100 per cent renewable energy usage by 2018. Wind farms would help achieve these targets. However, Mr Pratt said the document listed Werribee's Western treatment plant as "a site with reservations." "We acknowledge there are some potential issues with putting wind turbines there because of the bird sanctuary," he said. "We can't rule anything in or out at this stage. "But if the feasibility study comes back and says there are some real issues with this site, then we would expect it would immediately be ruled out as an option." The wetlands are a seasonal home to thousands of local and migratory birds. Environmentalists fear wind turbines would result in the deaths of many birds caught up in the rotating blades.

Forest and Bird would look at supporting smaller wind farm projects, such as the one near Gore by TrustPower, but not Project Hayes. Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society vice-president Janet Ledingham told the commissioners hearing Meridian Energy's Project Hayes application yesterday the group was not sure whether other places in Central Otago would be suitable for wind farms. "Central Otago is one of the most difficult areas because of the landscape," she said.

Forest and Bird would look at supporting smaller wind farm projects, such as the one near Gore by TrustPower, but not Project Hayes. "It appears there is a wind farm rush in Otago and Southland, akin to the gold rush of the 1800s and the more recent gold rush for aquaculture sites, as companies are racing to all get in first and establish dominance," she said.

Pacific Hydro has written to the state and federal governments to find out if endangered species are found on an area of land the company has earmarked for a wind farm. The $150 million Crowlands wind farm comprises 72 turbines across 18 properties, north-east of Ararat. The company's Andrew Richards says the governments' response will determine whether an environmental effects statement will be needed. "Flora and fauna, whether they're on the endangered species list, or threatened species list, that kind of thing," he said. "This is a matter of course for all forms of development, they need to go through this referral process. "While we have had our own independent studies undertaken on this site, we still need to go through this process to check with state and federal levels to make sure we haven't missed anything."

Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan says the approval of the Bald Hills wind farm in South Gippsland has divided the community. Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell has changed his previous decision to block the project. Senator Campbell originally withdrew approval for the wind farm, saying it could threaten the orange-bellied parrot. Mr Ryan says Bald Hills is an inappropriate location and it is up to the State Government to create a better planning scheme for wind farms.

Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell has given the go-ahead for the $220 million Bald Hills wind farm, reversing a controversial decision based on a perceived threat to the rare orange-bellied parrot. Senator Campbell today said the wind farm had been given federal approval subject to key changes to the turbine layout and strict conditions to protect the parrot and other threatened species. But local Liberal MP Russell Broadebent and environment groups immediately attacked the reversal.

A Tasmanian wind farm located near known habitats of the orange-bellied parrot was approved before new information revealed risks to the birds from the turbine blades, Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell says. In April this year, Senator Campbell overturned Victorian government approval for a 52-turbine wind farm at Bald Hills in Gippsland, using his discretionary powers under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Despite a departmental report indicating there would be negligible impact on the species, an independent Biosis report found more serious concerns about parrot deaths. The minister acted, blocking the $220 million project.