I would like to comment on the letter Winds Of Change by Paul Smith, of Shropshire, UK, (October 26).

Mr Smith is absolutely right that gas supplies from Russia and Libya will not last forever and that from 2010 onwards we have to expect supply shortages. We have to act now in order to be prepared then.

Mr Smith is in favour of wind farms to be built in Malta, which shall supply the country with an energy alternative.

I fully agree that wind farms are a good alternative source of energy for the Mediterranean archipelago, which offers more than 250 days annually of suitable wind for such energy farms. But the only tenders that have been issued and where investors are invited to bid are those for offshore wind energy farms.

One must know that the investment for such offshore plants is heavier than for plants on the islands. Suitable and capable areas in Malta, Gozo and Comino can be identified. Painted nicely white and green, the wind turbines can even be good to look at and a whole wind farm could be a new attraction for the country as it is in other countries, for example in the very north of Germany. Modern designs can give them an aesthetic character.

But the Maltese government or, rather, the energy monopolist Enemalta is against wind farms. This has been proven often in the past and I think I do not have to repeat the discussions of the past.

I wish that, one day, myself and Mr Smith will joyfully drive through the Maltese countryside and look proudly at Malta's new images of modern energy management: wind farms.