Norway’s ‘invalid’ wind farms will continue to operate for the time being, government says
OSLO (Reuters) – Two Norwegian wind farms that have been stripped of their licenses by the country’s Supreme Court will remain in operation for the time being until their final fate is decided, the government said on Wednesday.
The court ruled on October 11 that the construction of the Storheia and Roan wind farms in the Fosen region, with a total of 151 wind turbines, violated the rights of Sami reindeer herders.
The Supreme Court has not said what should happen next to the facilities, but a lawyer representing the ranchers said the verdict means the turbines should be dismantled.
Norway‘s Energy Ministry said on Wednesday it was looking into the case and would meet with representatives of the breeders.
“The Supreme Court ruling (…) does not directly concern aspects of the wind power plant which are regulated by the energy law,” the petroleum ministry said.
“Consequently, no immediate intervention will be made with regard to the Fosen concessions until a thorough assessment of the case has been carried out,” he added.
Reindeer herders in Norway argue that the sight and sound of wind turbines scare away grazing animals nearby and thus endanger centuries-old traditions, and that land should not be expropriated for such projects.
The Supreme Court case centered on whether the construction of wind turbines here, part of a $ 1.3 billion development that is Europe’s largest onshore wind farm, violated cultural rights under international conventions.
“A large chamber of the Supreme Court has unanimously found interference with this right and declared invalid the wind energy license and the expropriation decision,” the court said in a statement accompanying its verdict.
Fosen Vind developed both sites and remains the primary owner of Storheia. Fosen Vind is owned by Statkraft, TroenderEnergi and Nordic Wind Power DA, a consortium of Energy Infrastructure Partners and the Swiss electricity company BKW.
Following the verdict, Fosen Vind said he hoped to apply for a new license that would not violate the rights of Sami reindeer herding.
The Roan wind farm is now a separate company, Roan Vind, owned by TroenderEnergi, Stadtwerke Muenchen and Nordic Wind Power.
Reporting by Terje Solsvik, Nora Buli and Nerijus Adomaitis; Editing by Sandra Maler