Norway. Wind Energy In Environmentalists’ Field Of View
In Oslo, the Greens have been protesting for months against a wind farm that could steal the historic reindeer herding lands of the indigenous Sami population. In Switzerland, mountain municipalities claim they were “deceived” by companies building solar parks
Europe’s north-south energy transition is not all roses and not all green. Many renewable energy projects are dangerous to humans, violate the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples, or were implemented through certain corruption schemes.
In Oslo, the capital of Norway, several dozens of young activists from the Natur og Ungdom (Nature and Youth) environmental movement, with the support of the Sami people representatives, again blocked the road near the Norwegian Parliament on Wednesday, October 11, to protest against a wind energy park that “deprives the indigenous Sami people of the fundamental right to reindeer grazing in Arctic Norway.” Activists have condemned the Norwegian legislature’s failure to return historic land to stock-breeders.
At the center of the dispute are the 151 turbines of Europe’s largest onshore wind farm, located in the central Norwegian region of Fosen, about 450 kilometers north of Oslo. Activists argue that the transition to green energy should not come at the expense of fundamental rights of indigenous peoples.
The protest could last several days. Protesters and journalists flocked from different parts of the Sami region, as well as Finland and Sweden, to show their support for the Fosen community. “Today the verdict of the Norwegian Supreme Court is exactly two years old, but the rights of the Sami people continue to be violated,” activist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen told reporters, according to whom “the final decision that the Fosen wind farm near Trondheim violates human rights has not been applied yet.”
Greta Thunberg is also due to arrive in Oslo on Thursday, while in Sweden she is awaiting a verdict in court against her for a previous action, in which she and other activists blocked access to the Malmo oil port. Meanwhile, young environmentalists created a human chain and completely blocked traffic on one of the main streets of the Norwegian capital. The Sami mounted numerous lavvu, their traditional tents, and a representative of this indigenous population declared his intention to “protest until the Norwegian government makes progress on this issue.” The police present at the scene did not interfere with the actions of the demonstrators.
Meanwhile, in Switzerland, mountain municipalities are beginning to demand compensation from electricity companies for the construction of solar parks, not “only for the exploitation of the land, but also of the sunlight.” The reaction of electricity companies was not long in coming. If the Swiss municipalities’ request is granted, it could make the construction of solar parks in the mountains much less interesting.
As radio station RSI in Lugano told listeners, “The mountain sun is tempting for electricity companies who would like to build many new solar farms.” Some municipalities, of which Graubünden is in the first rank, now say that even the sun has value: “Mountain municipalities have been deceived in this solar onset. Instead, electricity companies saw an opportunity here. They got together and made offers to the municipalities, very low, much lower than the water charges. I don’t understand why the municipalities accepted them, but they were deceived,” said Not Carl, activist and former president of the Association of Concessionaire Municipalities of the Swiss Confederation. According to Carl, municipalities should demand “compensation for the exploitation of not only the land, but also the sun,” which somewhat resembles what is required for water charges.
“Payments for the use of solar energy risk affecting the competitiveness of power plants,” immediately responded Roberto Pronini, vice-president of the Association of Electric Utilities. Alas, in the 21st century, a place in the sun has its own cost, which is becoming increasingly higher.
