Windmills, the large white wind generators not the picturesque one in Dutch postcards, are a controversial subject in the Aude. The Aude has the highest percentage of wind power in France, although way behind Europe's leaders, the Danes. The confusion over who controls where they are built, mayors, the Department, the Region, the Prefect (In effect Paris) has lead to the just criticism that they were out of control. Village mayors like them because of the one time set up tax and the on going rental revenue they receive. Departmental and Regional planners have however found the lack of any regional plan frustrating, especially in their efforts to protect sites of natural beauty and regional parks. The issue has pitted conservationists, supported by many vignerons, against ecologists, and have been the root of a wide range of protests both or and against. Recent legislation being pushed through the National Assembly is trying to make the consultation on planning permission for wind generators and wind farms so wide as to be virtually unwinable for any new project.
Jean-Claude Bastion, Prefect for the Aude, has commissioned a professional team of advisors to look at the whole subject from which he will draw up a development plan for the Aude Department- in discussion with the local elected bodies of course.
The first report of Akene, the consultants, has two parts, the first looks at existing developments, here they conclude that overall the effect is slightly positive, despite an incoherent development plan, most of the sites are well situated in terms of noise control, visually of course they can be seen for miles around, their relationship with the conservation areas is "acceptable", they don't intrude too much, and their present sites can be rehabilitate quite easily in most cases.
The second part looks at areas that can be developed or developed further- the zones de development de l'eolien(ZDE). Only 12% of the Aude is acceptable for further development Akene declare.

• Along the coast the existing parks at Sigean and Villeseque can be enlarged but the sector around Treilles and Fitou should be protected.
• On the Aude plain the areas around Carcassonne and Narbonne should not be developed any further but around Lezignan de Corbieres future developments should go ahead.
• The Corbieres Massif should be protected.
• In the Aude valley the park at Roquetaillade should be extended but no further developments.
• In the Aude Pyrenees there should be developments in the Quercorb area.
• Pieges-Razes, apart from in the South of the Razes the whole area should be left alone.
• Sillon and Lauragais, keep the area between the wind farms at d'Avignonet and de Salleles free of further development.
• Black Mountains, development only possible on the summit plateaux in particular Loubatiere.

This report signals the first attempt at a coherent strategy for the Aude, it makes a good stab at protecting the existing natural parks and controlling the mercantile attitude of both the companies that build the wind farms and the village and town Mayors. However the projected rise in population in the Aude in the next twenty years would suggest that the demand on the grid will continue to increase, particularly as the main driver to the growth will be elderly Northern French people who will be looking to move into new build houses with air conditioning in the summer and some form of central heating in the winter. The second point is that the centres of population growth are the Carcassonne -Lezignan - Narbonne - Coursan - Gruissan axis and of course the coast. Apart from Lezignan these are the areas that have been singled out to be protected, so it is the surrounding countryside which will have to bear the brunt of the developments to feed the growing urban centres. In the same way it is the countryside that has to host the rubbish dumps and landfill sites, while the urban centres benefit from the increase in revenue provided by the growing population some attempt to work more sympathetically with the surrounding areas would be helpful. It is interesting to note that the two large urban centres Narbonne and Carcassonne are both controlled by the right wing and the rest of the Aude is firmly in the hands of the left- and the two expend a huge amount of energy denouncing the other. Hardly a strong basis for a more constructive working relationship.
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