Australian Wind-winners

Australia can meet its greenhouse reduction target and increase its renewable energy target with little effect on the cost of power.

The Australian energy industry must deliver a fixed incremental increase in renewable energy of 9500 gigawatt hours a year by 2010. Following the project Australia will cut carbon emissions by the required with the Kyoto protocol amount as increasing the MRET to 10 per cent by 2010 could cut greenhouse emissions by 14 million tonnes.

The country currently views to wind farms. The country's largest one in Victoria, will generate enough electricity to power a city the size of Geelong, and reduce Australia's greenhouse emissions by 650,000 tonnes a year.

The first six turbines of the $200million 80-turbine project were opened at the weekend at Woolnorth.

Stage one will produce 10.5megawatts -- enough to power more than 5000 houses and do away with 44,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The completed project will generate 130mw of power, a significant portion of which will be sold to the mainland via the recently approved Basslink cable between Tasmania and Victoria.