Wind farm backlash is stoked ahead ofNorway election
After being harassed on social media and told repeatedly that she’s a traitor who should be in jail, Norway’s 34-year- old energy minister is bracing for a controversial election campaign.
In the country that has amassed a trillion- dollar fortune built on the revenue from oil and natural gas exports, it’s the green- energy revolution that is stoking one of the loudest debates. Wind power could be a vital part of Norway’s plan to slash pollution, but many voters have had enough of the machines that stand as tall as skyscrapers. Tina Bru is getting abuse both online and when out on foot.
“I’m not afraid of the angry messages, but I can be worried about the general political debate, how hard it can be in some cases, such as with wind power,” Bru said in an interview. “I’m not exclusively positive nor negative, but we know we need more renewable energy in this country.”
The protests stem from last decade’s installation boom. Wind output has risen almost six-fold and now feeds about 4 percent of Norway’s total electricity, with hydro- electric plants supplying most of the rest. By the mid-2020s, a vast amount of Norway’s substantial oil industry will be powered by renewables, according to the energy regulators. The grid company Statnett SF expects a 30 percent jump in demand by 2040.
While the cost of wind power is falling, a growing number of voters want to see less of it. They’d rather see alternatives like more hydro or even fossil fuels — which would clash with the government’s environmental goals. A survey in November showed that only 36 percent were favorable about onshore wind as an energy source, down from as much as 84 percent in 2011. Oil’s popularity has increased to 29 percent from just 16 percent five years ago, according to Kantar’s Climate Barometer, which polled 2,085 people.
The backlash among the public and lawmakers has gone so far that industry consultant StormGeo Nena Analysis said last month that it’s unlikely any more wind farms will be built on land in the decade to 2034. Statnett is even more skeptical, seeing no further large scale developments ever except for offshore.
Wind farm opponents come from all walks of life. They include environmentalists worried about the impact on nature and wildlife and people who work in the oil and gas industry.
The election is due in September, and the main political parties are starting to adjust their programs. Some that previously backed onshore wind are now against it, including traditional climate parties the Socialist Left Party, the Green Party and the Liberals.The Socialist Left had turbines on the front page of their program in 2013, but are now going for a ban. While Bru’s ruling Conservative Party plans to improve licensing to give local communities a voice and greater consideration to the environment, both the far right and far left have made no to wind their main platform.
Eivind Salen, a teacher and chairman of resistance group Motvind, says they should all go even further. “We want to choke it completely.”