“Onshore windpower is the best solution for Northern Norway”

We're on a ferry from Tromsø to the island of Vannøya. In a matter of minutes, 18 giant wind turbines rise above the horizon along this small stretch of land - it is the Fakken wind power plant. The hard-working turbines are moving non-stop and are scattered across the highest part of the island, next to each other.

“In Troms and Finnmark, we don't have enough hydropower for electricity. So we need wind power to produce the electricity needed for society”, - Geir Håvard Hanssen, head of renewable development at Troms Kraft, told the Barents Observer. 

Troms Kraft is an energy company that operates ten hydropower plants and one onshore windfarm, Fakken. It also runs the electricity grid in most of Troms County and the Salten region in Nordland County, northern Norway.

We are standing next to one of the turbines, located on the highest peak of the island. Strong winds and rain break the peaceful scenery. But the weather extremes are smoothed over as soon as you see the magnificent view of the ocean from this height. The giant turbines in the distance seem silent, but when you stand next to one, the sound of the blades beating against the wind takes over.

"In a few years, we will have to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. We need wind power to make this green shift," says Hanssen, wiping his glasses from the rain.

"The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind"

The Energy Commission's report to the Norwegian government warned of a potential electricity shortage in Norway by 2027.

“…We need more renewable energy, larger and more powerful grids, and a more efficient use of energy in order to meet long-term challenges”, the commission underlines. 

The national grid operator Statnett supports the projection. 

In recent years, some municipalities have found a way to make money from wind turbines. In Norway, the construction of new wind farms provides the host community with income from property taxes and production fees, among other things.

"We have built kindergartens, new schools, new houses. We have a new town hall, we have nursing homes," says Kristin Johnsen, mayor of Lebesby municipality, about a few hundred km north of Fakken.

In Lebesby municipality there is the Kjøllefjord wind park. Thanks to it, Lebesby Municipality has almost 4 million NOK, (345,421 EU) in 2024. 

Kristin told the Barents Observer, that the municipality of Lebesby has invested millions in infrastructure.

"We also have a school that has free lunch every day from first to tenth grade because we can afford it now," she said.

Meanwhile, not everyone in Norway agrees about the expansion into wind energy. There have been several court cases in which local Sami reindeer herders have fought the building of new wind turbines.

For example, the local Sami reindeer herders further south filed a law suit asking that all 72 turbines at the Øyfjellet wind park be moved. 

The reindeer herders, who filed the suit, believe that the wind farm threatens the existence of reindeer herding and that Article 27 of the UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights has been violated.

The court did not agree, but ordered the Øyfjellet Wind company to pay legal costs, as well as a certain amount to the affected reindeer owners, NRK reported. 

In another court case in the Fosen district of central Norway, the Norwegian Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the wind farm project violated the rights of the Sami people under international conventions. In 2024, the Norwegian government reached an agreement with Sami reindeer herders that allowed the wind farm to continue operating while providing energy for local use and grants to strengthen Sami culture.

But in Lebesby municipality in Finnmark, the Kjøllefjord wind park is seen as a saviour for the community, helping to bring money and people to the remote region.

We have water, we have wind, and we have the sea. Instead of them coming to us and saying no, no, no, we are against (wind farms). Then what are we for?", Lebesby mayor Kristin Johnsen said. "We have to develop. What are your proposals for a solution? We have created growth based on our natural resources”.

Experts the Barents Observer have spoken to often stressed that establishing a good dialogue, talking to local communities and informing them about the details of the projects is crucial for the success of the wind park and for the betterment of everyone in the district. 

Driving along Vannøya, the island where Fakken Vindpark is located, we see many reindeer. Geir Håvard Hanssen explains they belong to the local Sami reindeer herder, Thore Vidar Kitti.

Before the Vindpark was built, Troms Kraft held several negotiations to agree on terms that satisfied all parties. Back then, they needed help from the court to reach an agreement. Today, the collaboration between Troms Kraft and Kitti is better. The reindeer herder has approved Troms Kraft to further develop the wind farm. Unfortunately, Thore Vidar Kitti declined to comment to the Barents Observer.

“We have to continue to develop, even though you know that 40% of Norway is considered indigenous land," Mads Frederiksen, Executive Director of the Arctic Economic Council, told the Barents Observer in his office in Tromsø.

Huge international cruise ships park right outside his windows.

Mads has been an active proponent of renewable energy for years and has previously written about it.

"If we run out of clean, renewable energy in the north of Norway in the near future, the consequence will be that energy will become much more expensive," Mads Frederiksen said, - "It will become more expensive to live here. And we are already struggling to get people to move north”.

“More than 98% of the population in Norway is non-indigenous. I think we need to coexist”, he continues. “We shouldn't overrule anyone's rights, of course. We need to follow the law; this is obvious. And that's also when you want to build a wind turbine there, currently today in the North and also in the South, there is always negotiation with whoever owns the land”. 

The struggle to attract people to move to the north, Mads highlights, is a long-standing one. Young people in Norway tend to move away from rural areas in favour of larger cities. The problem, which may be typical of many regions in the world, is exacerbated here by the fact that many are not prepared for the harsh conditions of the Arctic. Many move to the south of Norway, leaving some of the Arctic areas of Norway with fewer jobs, a smaller population and a declining economy.

Meanwhile, the goal of creating more 'vibrant communities' in the North has been explicitly emphasised in the National Security Strategy.

Climate change caused by man-made CO₂ emissions is threatening nature and the push to find green renewable energy is urgent.

"The companies here say that they need more energy, for example, to build fish farms or even to heat the schools," Mads Frederiksen, head of the Arctic Economic Council said. 

"Our response is that because of climate change, we need more green energy and diversification of the energy supply chain." 

Unni Yttergård lives on another island near Tromsø, Kvaløya. She and several others have been protesting against the construction of windmills there for several years.

“What is about to happen now is absolutely devastating. With this, we lose the peace and tranquillity that comes with living in the countryside, she told NRK in 2015. 

But the windpark with 67 turbines has been built anyway. 

We met Unni in Tromsø. She was worried that the wind farm on Kvaløya was having a negative impact on the local nature. 

“I have experienced that the turbines were on fire, and a lot of oil has gone into the ground. It's not climate-friendly, it's not good for the environment,” Unni said.

Unni explained that she was more interested in the ideas of a nuclear power plant, rather than wind:

“I think also if we can upgrade our hydroelectric power plants, we will have energy in abundance,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Troms Kraft Geir Håvard Hanssen points out that most of the potential for building new hydropower plants in Northern Norway is already used, and that other alternatives will take many years to develop:

"A nuclear power plant will take 20 to 25 years to build", Geir Håvard Hanssen said, "Offshore wind - the same. But onshore wind (like Fakken) is a mature technology that can be built now. The wind power is visible, but the direct footprint in nature is small”.

As the ferry departs back to Tromsø, Geir Håvard underlines that one of the reasons why he decided to stay in the North of Norway is his desire to develop the region: 

“I know this place needs development, more business opportunities, and more people. Someone needs to do the job. We can’t just all leave.”