The UK government has reportedly pulled the plug on a cross-border deal for wind power imports from gigawatt-scale projects in Ireland. Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte told the Irish Independent that it is unlikely an inter-governmental agreement between Dublin and London covering some 5GW of wind will now be agreed. This means that plans to erect thousands of wind turbines across the midlands – at least 40 wind farms – to export power to the UK have been shelved, the Irish Independent's Paul Melia has learned. Companies planning gigawatt-scale projects in the Irish midlands include Mainstream Renewable Power, Element Power and Bord na Mona. It is thought that the agreement may have fallen through as a result of local communities’ concerns about the size of the proposed wind farms in the midlands. The sale of energy they would generate would help the UK to meet its renewable-energy targets – which include the production of 15% of all its power from renewable sources by 2020. The news comes despite the signing of a memorandum between both countries in January 2013, which was designed to facilitate development of trade in renewable energy. See the Irish Independent for the full story.