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The municipalities themselves should be able to give a green or red light to wind developments. The changes that the FRP and the ruling parties have now agreed to will face much of the criticism of wind power, but will only apply to new plants.
Reindeer roam the wind turbines at the Storheia wind farm, which is the largest of the wind farms in Fosen Vind’s portfolio and the second of the wind farms to be built. When it was transferred to ordinary operation in February 2020, it was Norway’s largest with 80 turbines and an installed capacity of 288 MW.
Heiko boy
Published:,
The bourgeois parties in the Storting have now agreed to ask the government to come up with a major change for wind power in Norway:
They want the planning and construction of wind turbines to be included in the Planning and Construction Act.
In reality, this means that the municipalities themselves can decide whether or not to enable the area for wind energy development.
The Center Party and the Green Party presented a proposal on this at the Storting last year, but they were rejected.
In the true sense of the word, wind has recently been converted to wind power in Norway. Ten years ago the tone was different and the Storting approved the scheme with green certificates to stimulate the development of both wind and other renewable energy.
In the following years, there were several elements that contributed to the development of wind turbines being highly debated:
- On various projects, it has been many years from approval until construction began.
- The wind turbines that are built today are usually much larger than those that existed a few years ago.
- Many communities believe that they have very little financial gain left.
Through the decision several of these points are fulfilled, it appears in a press release from the Conservatives:
- In the first place, municipalities must therefore be able to decide for themselves whether or not they want to enable areas for wind energy.
- Second, the time frame must be adjusted; now it cannot be more than five years from an application being approved until the wind farm is operational
- Third, the possibilities for change must be “sharpened” along the way. Therefore, it will be more difficult to change the number or size of the wind turbines after approval.
- Fourth, municipalities will get more out of wind power. The four parties agree to “secure local compensation” in a proposal in the revised 2021 budget.
The changes will affect new wind power plants. Municipalities that are critical of new wind power plants cannot stop projects that have already been approved or are under construction.
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You want to include more parties
Although it is Frp, Høyre, Venstre and KrF who have now agreed on this package, they want to get “a large majority in the Storting for proposals” with “objectives of less conflict and more predictability” on the heated issues of wind energy.
– For the Liberal Party, the most important thing has been to provide greater protection to nature and strengthen local democracy on wind energy issues. I am very happy that we have reached an agreement on both, says Ketil Kjenseth (V), chairman of the energy and environment committee, in a statement.
– I am very happy to have managed to gather a majority that gives a good message of wind energy even better, says Liv Kari Eskeland (H)
– The Progress Party has received full support for all the wind energy demands we made to the government before the summer, and I am very happy about that, says Terje Halleland (Frp)
– For KrF, it has been important to tighten the regulations. Now there will be more local participation and it is claimed that there will be local compensation, says Tore Storehaug (KrF)
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Red is critical
– This is too little, too late on the part of the government and Frp. What we need now is an end point for new onshore wind power plants, so that nature and local communities can breathe again, Rødt leader Bjørnar Moxnes says in a statement.
He is not happy with what he thinks the compromise of the bourgeois parties will lead:
– Moving decisions from the Energy Law to the Planning and Construction Law still opens up to new developments that affect Norwegian nature, and the state also has the opportunity to come in and decide through the so-called state planning provision, it says Moxnes and continues:
– Rødt wants to give municipalities a real veto right against wind energy developments, which cannot be reviewed.
Moxnes believes that the conflict between the needs of reindeer husbandry and wind power has not been resolved.
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