Land and Environment Court of Appeal approves wind farm on Stormyrberget mountain
From the Land and Environment Court's on-site inspection in December 2021, with Stormyrberget in the background.
After a years-long permit process and legal trials, the Land and Environment Court of Appeal (MÖD) has finally given the green light to Vattenfall's wind farm. i Stormyrberget in Örnsköldsvik municipality.
- "This judgment is absolutely crucial for the continued development of renewable wind energy in northern Sweden. MÖD finds a reasonable balance in the difficult issues, and this will benefit the industry," says Ecogain's Anders Enetjärn, who has been Vattenfall's consultant in the project.
On Friday, the Land and Environment Court of Appeal (MÖD) issued a decision in the case concerning the wind farmon Stormyrberget in Örnsköldsvik municipality. After an extensive examination of the environmental impact assessment, the court writes that there is no reason to question the previous approval from the Land and Environmental Court, and thus grants Vattenfall an environmental permit for the windfarm.
The interests of the Sami community regarding reindeer husbandry have been taken into account, but MÖD considers that the wind farm does not make reindeer husbandry impossible on the site.
- In its reasons for judgment, MÖD makes well-motivated considerations about how reindeer husbandry can be affected by Stormyrberget in the long term, but also draws the clear conclusion that the intervention will not entail a significant impediment to reindeer husbandry, says Anders Enetjärn.
Handbook for reindeer husbandry investigations as basis for the judgment
The judgment is also clear about how reindeer husbandry should be described in an EIA and states that the interests of reindeer husbandry are sufficiently described.
- It is fantastic to note that the new methods for reindeer husbandry investigations developed by Ecogain, and shared in the Swedish Wind Energy Association's new method handbook, can now form the basis for a clear decision in MÖD.
The Land and Environment Court of Appeal adds two new conditions to the permit: an obligation for Vattenfall to shut down the wind turbines during certain periods and a condition regarding a collection yard.
The judgment cannot be appealed and is therefore final.
Facts about the Stormyrberget wine power project
The Stormyrberget wind power project is estimated to produce 800 GWh annually, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 333,000 cars, or 7% of the country's cars will be able to run on electricity.
Read more about the Stormyrberget project and the judgment on Vattenfall's website.
