Tag: wind parks

Earlier this week, the government gave the green light to two offshore wind parks. It’s a start.

Conflicts of interest

The wind park application process is known to be expensive and extremely complicated. However, the Swedish Armed Forces and the municipal veto are the two main reasons many new “steel forests” (stålskogar) haven’t been approved in the last ten years.

While Sweden is working hard to up its military capacity in response to the war in Ukraine, it is also trying to increase its energy production. Unfortunately, the operations of the Swedish Armed Forces and operating wind parks are often not compatible. Wind parks want wide, open spaces – where the military has operations as well, particularly at sea. In addition, wind turbines disrupt radar, sensors, and other communications which strikes at the very heart of Swedish military capacity. Adding to the conflict is the impression that the military won’t discuss the issue. When Radio Sweden requested a comment, it responded by saying it wasn’t their job to talk about wind power.

The veto

The Swedish military’s ability to do their job is a national security issue. But local concerns can stop a wind park’s establishment just as effectively, albeit with more discussion. According to Timbro, over 1300 new wind park proposals have been nixed since the “veto” was first allowed in 2009. (It’s actually not a veto, but more an absence of support for an application. If the municipality doesn’t indicate support for a project, the project doesn’t happen.)

The reasons for not supporting a park establishment are many. Steel forests kill migrating birds and get in the way of migratory animals. They make a distinctive sound that many find unpleasant, and can’t exactly be said to increase the value of one’s home.

Compensation

Animals are out of luck, but various compensation plans have been floated in an attempt to make wind parks more attractive to people. One popular suggestion is that some compensation would be paid to the municipality for its pain and suffering. However, there is disagreement on what amount would be needed to placate a hesitant municipality, and how it would be granted.

Compensation based on how near one is to a turbine, the height of it, and a rebate on the electricity it generates are some options. Locals might also have the right to sell their property based on its value before the local wind park went up. These possibilities are all difficult to implement. Another worry is that compensation could be so expensive that no wind park is built at all.

The government’s go ahead doesn’t mean the wind parks will be built. The Land and Environment court has yet to give its approval, and there is enormous opposition on behalf of the fish- and birdlife. It takes time to grow a forest.