Wind power, EU renewable directive | Renewable Norway stumbles in the fight for its own interests

NHO encourages “panic!” in the kingdom, because Norway is not gearing up for a massive development of wind turbines on land. “Onshore wind, onshore wind, onshore wind. Speed ​​up land access and case processing, so that investors can start planning”, almost screamed NHO chief Ole Erik Almlid in VG this winter.

While the power developers’ interest organisation, Fornybar Norge, seems to be gearing up its propaganda to get the Storting to adopt EU regulations that give power developers the right of way in development matters.

No one can blame interest organizations for conducting interest campaigns. And when the interests are strong – the rhetoric follows. But Norway is still a people’s government, and it is not up to NHO and Renewable Norway to decide the energy policy. At least not yet. In the area of ​​power development, the Ap/Sp government has even strengthened the People’s Board by giving the municipalities the right to veto.

The right of veto ensures that the citizens themselves decide whether the municipality’s land is to be used for wind turbines with associated infrastructure, embankments and roads. The veto right lies concretely in the fact that the municipalities must approve development in accordance with the Planning and Building Act for a license for development can be granted.

It is just as important with a thorough licensing process. Energy development usually entails the degradation of nature. Thus, a thorough licensing process that takes care of nature is crucially important for the sound development of onshore wind power.

But: If the Storting adopts the EU’s renewables directivethe municipalities’ right of veto will become illusory, and the licensing process will be amputated.

In short, this will the regulations obligate Norway to build out renewable power in one fell swoop, in order to contribute to meeting the EU’s renewable targets. In practice, this means developing wind power in order to increase exports to the EU market. The power companies get the right of way in many ways, not least by not having to wait for thorough licensing procedures.

This takes too much time, and is a stick in the power companies’ wheels. In other words: The People’s Council, consideration of affected municipalities and residents, and consideration of nature, take too much time. The fast-track treatment provided for by the renewables directive (with so-called acceleration areas for power development) involves a more authoritarian power development regime.

It is a reality which the power developers’ interest organization Renewable Norway seems to want to conceal. This is revealed in an article by deputy chairman of Renewable Norway, Bård Standal, in the Nationen recently.

The EU’s Renewable Energy Directive is originally from 2018, but was later changed. The directive that is applicable law in the EU nowis part of the EU’s fourth energy market package.

Standal means the Nation “confuses renewable directives and spreads misinformation”. Standal’s main accusation is formulated as follows: “There are three versions of this directive, and it is version number two from 2018 that is now on the table. Nevertheless, Nordlund mainly writes about content from version number three”. Standal advises us to “concentrate on what is in the 2018 version.”

But the EU operates not with “versions of current law”, just as little as Norway does. There is only ONE renewable directive in the EU, and it was updated last year. The Støre government has had the changes out for consultation, and received a great many consultation responses.

Then one can wonder whether Renewable Norway really believes that the Storting should not see all the directive in context?

If the Storting should adopt the outdated 2018 version, without to see it in the context of changes that the government has even had out for consultation, it would be unwise.

While it will look suspiciously like salami tactics, as it is called when one aims to secure something or to carry out something bit by bit. If the Storting accepts a directive as EEA-relevant, or adopts a version of an EU directive, there is of course massive pressure in the agreement to adopt updates to current EU law. Of course.

Has Deputy Standal and Fornybar Norge have missed that the point of the EEA agreement is precisely that similar regulations in EU and EEA countries? In that case, Standal should probably update himself a bit before he goes into the next battle to promote the interests of power developers.

So it is difficult to see the sense in only looking at the EU’s outdated regulations, as Standal therefore urges. Could the call be due to the fact that it is the most recent changes in the renewable energy directive that are the most controversial in Norway? And that the power industry sees itself as benefiting from the least possible debate?

Anyway, there is none doubts that the EU’s renewables directive will intervene in Norwegian energy policy, displace the people’s government and thoroughly amputate the licensing process.