The group of 10 modern windmills is visible in the distance towards the north from Carcassonne airport and remains visible for much of the journey into the Minervois from the west. The sight is not intrusive in an unpleasant sense and not as disturbing as a modern concrete factory would be but is a reminder that the Minervois with all its history remains anchored in the present day with all its concerns about ecology and energy production.

Seen from close up, just below the ridge on which they stand, the sight of these modern day titans with their blades turning in the wind is very impressive. On the cool, windy day in early March when I took these photos, all ten generators were turning steadily with their own 'whooshing' sound.

Care has been taken during the development of this site in 1998 to be as environmentally friendly as possible. For example, there are no attendant buildings and the electrical transformers are integrated into the pylons so nothing other than the pylons and their windmill blades are visible. All the control and monitoring of the site is carried out by remote telemetry.

The ten generators produce 7500 kW of electricity which is said to be sufficient (not counting heating) for a town of some 42,000 people, like nearby Carcassonne. The dominant wind is the Cers which blows from the west and accounts for about 60% of the winds. Next most important is the Marin, blowing from the east and accounting for 30% of the winds. There is practically no wind from the north, south or south-east.