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Wind power plans in Finnmark face Sámi opposition:
“Power Needs Cannot Come at the Expense Of Sámi Interests”
Increased wind power production is necessary to secure future development in Northern Norway, believes Member of Parliament Sigurd Rafaelsen. The Sámi Parliament, meanwhile, warns that development will threaten important Sámi cultural and natural areas.
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Finnmark faces growing demand for electricity as several wind power projects are planned across the region.
High North News recently reported on the Davvi wind farm in Lebesby Municipality, Northern Norway, which could become Norway's largest wind farm if realised.
The project has faced strong opposition, including from Sámi communities and several environmental organisations. At the same time, politicians argue that increased power generation is essential to ensuring industrial development, jobs and settlement in the north.
Consultation concerns
In January, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) rejected the application to build the wind farm in Lebesby. The reason was that the project is located in the middle of one of Norway's largest wilderness areas, and that its impact on nature and Sámi culture outweighed its benefits.
The application was not put out for public consultation. The developer appealed the rejection and was succesful in having it overturned by the Norwegian Ministry of Energy.
"We are sending the case back because we believe there has been a procedural error. When we believe there has been a procedural error, it has to be corrected," Minister of Energy Terje Aasland (Labour) told NRK at the end of September.
NVE will therefore reassess whether the project should be granted a licence.
The Sámi Parliament had requested consultation before the ministry made its decision in the appeal. However, no consultation took place, prompting Sámi Parliament President Silje Karine Muotka to react.
"When the ministry chooses to overturn a rejection in a case affecting fundamental Sámi interests, we expect to be consulted. We have asked for this. Nevertheless, the decision was made without the Sámi Parliament being given the opportunity for meaningful consultations. This is deeply disappointing," Muotka stated in a press release earlier this autumn.
Having acces to a power grid where you live is a fundamental part of that infrastructure
Crucial for development in the north
Member of the Norwegian Parliament Sigurd Rafaelsen (Labour) believes it is necessary to assess the potential for increased renewable power generation in Northern Norway.
"Safeguarding nature and our culturally significant industries is extremely important. At the same time, we must protect Sámi communities, maintain settlement patterns and support development in Sámi areas. We need secure and robust power and grid infrastructure. That is why assessing the potential for renewable energy is so important," he tells High North News.
Rafaelsen, who served as mayor of Lebesby from 2019 to 2024, argues that the regions energy supply must be considered in relation to its future development.
"Part of living in the north is having access to elecricity. It is about taking part in a development in which an increasing share of the business and industry sector is being electrified. It is also about facilitating new industrial investments and job establishments. That requires power."
"The High North is Norway's most important strategic priority, and that must also be reflected in the infrastructure. Having acces to a power grid where you live is a fundamental part of that infrastructure," he emphasises.
"We need to look at the bigger picture"
Jon-Christer Mudenia of the Sámi Parliamentary Council, however, believes that the need for power must not come at the expense of Sámi interests and the natural environment on which they depend.
"The Sámi Parliament is not opposed to renewable energy, but we need to look at the bigger picture and consider the consequences development will have for existing industries, he tells HNN.
Throughout the process, Sámi rights holders, Sámi organisations, cultural heritage experts and local opposition groups have warned about the potential consequences of the Davvi project. Among other things, they point out that the area is one of the few remaining natural landscapes untouched by technical infrastructure, and that it holds significant value for Sámi culture and traditional land use.
Mudenia believes there are alternatives to extensive wind power development in untouched nature.
"The need for power is real, but there are less land-intensive measures that can be taken by upgrading existing facilities. These could meet Finnmark's future energy needs without compromising Sámi rights or natural areas."
The Davvi wind farm is planned in the mountain area of Vuonjalrášša, close to the sacred Sámi mountain Rásttigáisá. The Sámi Parliament believes that wind turbines, access roads and transformers will disturb the peace of the sacred area.
"There is also an extensive wetland area with streams that flow into the Tana river. We do not know what consequences a wind farm there would have for the salmon"
If we use nature, we must leave it in the same condition or better than we found it
Determined to continue the fight
Since July 1st 2023, onshore wind power development has been subject to Norway's Planning and Building Act. This gave municipalities greater responsibility for planning wind power projects. In practice, however, this has created considerable challenges for municipalities that lack the capacity and technical expertise needed to manage the extensive assessment and planning processes.
According to Mudenia, this has given developers greater influence over the planning process.
"This has meant that developers take responsibility for drawing up plans on behalf of the municipalities. In practice, this means that developers end up controlling the plans," he says.
He also points to cases in which municipal councils have approved wind power plans without involving reindeer herders and other Sámi stakeholders in the process.
Asked whether it is possible to safeguard Sámi interests while expanding power production, he responds:
"Anything is possible, but the state must also provide funding that makes it realistic for rights holders and local communities to participate in the process."
He highlights the reindeer herding district on the Nordkinn Peninsula, where several wind power projects are being considered by NVE.
"They have spent enormous resources dealing with these cases, without receiving any additional fundin from the state to help them take part in the planning process."
Mudenia believes clear limits must be set on the scale of nature encroachments that can be accepted. If Davvi is granted a licence, the Sámi Parliament will continue its opposition to the project.
"We will do everything we can and stand our ground. I believe there will be strong local opposition if the project is realised."
Protecting untouched nature is also about taking responsibility for future generations, he explains.
"In Sámi culture, we have a mindset that if we use nature, we must leave it in the same condition or better than we found it, so that future generations will have the opportunity to practise their culture in the same way."
