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Wind Power News: Finland
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Several groups of birds and mammals displaced by wind turbines, finds review
While wind power is an important part of the green transition, its downsides include the disturbances caused by wind turbines in animal habitats. According to an international review by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), many bird and mammal groups avoid wind power. The full or partial displacement of individuals from the wind turbine area may reduce population sizes, which will especially have an adverse impact on rare and threatened species. The research is published in the journal Biological Conservation. . . . Complete story »
Impact of wind turbines on wildlife: Significant displacement in bird and mammal populations
Wind turbines, a crucial component of green energy transition, have been found to adversely affect various bird and mammal groups, causing them to avoid these areas. Research conducted by the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) involved a comprehensive review of 84 studies across 22 countries, analyzing the impact of wind turbines on these animals. The studies revealed that 63% of bird species, 72% of bats, and 67% of terrestrial mammals displayed avoidance behavior, steering clear of wind turbine areas. Particularly . . . Complete story »
Icing shuts down 70% of Finnish windpower facility
Icing problems have cut the available capacity at Finnish utility Fortum’s Pjelax onshore wind farm from 380 MW to 115 MW. The unplanned outage in Finland began at 08:44 CET with an additional impact of 350 MW, Fortum said on Friday. It said the impact had been reduced to 265 MW later and that the capacity would likely be reduced until Saturday. The 56-turbine wind farm is Finland’s third largest and started operations in October 2023. Complete story »
Defence Forces: Few wind power locations available
So far this year the Defence Forces have rejected more applications to build wind farms than they have approved. The Defence Forces said they estimate that they’ll turn down a third of permit applications this year, signalling a change from earlier approval rates. Over the past ten years, the authorities have greenlit some 80 percent of planned wind power projects. Any plans to build new wind turbines more than 50 metres tall or within the vicinity of a strategic area, . . . Complete story »
Finnish armed forces oppose building wind farms over defence concerns
More wind farms should not be built in Eastern Finland as wind turbines distract radar operations along the 1,300-kilometre-long land border with Russia, according to the Finnish Defence Forces. Turbines over 50 metres tall or situated close to strategic areas require a green light from the armed forces. According to the military, the distance between a wind turbine and a radar installation must be at least 40 kilometres. Wind farms create shadow zones, interfering with reflections making regional surveillance more . . . Complete story »
Reindeer: ancient migration routes disrupted by roads, dams – and now wind farms
Reindeer, or caribou as they’re known in North America, are impressive travellers. Herds made up of many thousands of animals can cover 5,000km each year in the far north of Europe, Siberia and Canada. This is one of the longest land migrations on Earth – but an ongoing transformation of the Arctic landscape threatens to break it up. Roads, railways, mines and dams have disrupted the well-worn trails that reindeer follow each year, particularly across northern Europe. In one study, . . . Complete story »
Another blade damaged and fallen in the Metsälä wind facility (in Finnish)
Metsälän tuulivoimapuistossa on toisesta tuuliturbiinista pudonnut vaurioitunut lapa maahan [Still from video by Kai Ylikoski:] Metsälän tuulivoimapuistossa Kristiinankaupungissa on eilen sattunut toinen siiven rikkoutuminen, mikä on johtanut sen putoamiseen. Vastaava tapaus on käynyt aiemmin 5.9.2020. Kummankaan tapahtuman tarkasta syystä tai tapahtumaketjusta ei ole vielä tarkkaa selvyyttä. Tapahtuneen tutkintaa on hidastanut konehuoneen katolle jääneiden rikkoutuneiden osien muodostama putoamisriski. Lähiviikkoina paikalle saadaan nosturi, jonka avulla voimalan konehuoneen katto voidaan puhdistaa putoamisvaarassa olevista kappaleista. Tämän jälkeen tutkinnassa päästään enteenpäin. Vaurioituneiden voimaloiden lisäksi kaikkien . . . Complete story »
Sami women, indigenous reindeer herders, are fighting for their ancestral lands
In northern Europe, where winter temperatures hover between -13 and -22 degrees Fahrenheit, reindeer roam an ancient pine forest that’s blanketed by snow. That might sound like a fantastical scene from a snow globe, but for the Sámi people, the Indigenous inhabitants of Arctic Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula in Russia, this is home. The expansive region, known as Sápmi, is their ancestral land—and herding reindeer there has been a form of survival for them since the prehistoric . . . Complete story »
Arctic turbulence: why Indigenous communities are fighting wind farms
The Arctic is experiencing climate change at a faster pace than the rest of the world. Having already had to adapt, the Indigenous people of Norway, Sweden, Finland and north-western Russia – the Saami – now face a new threat to their existence as industrial wind farms are constructed on their ancestral lands to supply the western world’s growing demand for green energy. Speaking at a panel on Indigenous self-governance in 2018, Aili Keskitalo, the president of the Saami Parliament . . . Complete story »
Wind energy conflicts show how Arctic renewable energy projects can founder
At its essence, the Sámi position when it comes to renewable energy in the form of wind turbines and hydroelectric is simple: Herders don’t want their reindeer-herding disrupted by human-made hindrances. Infrastructure such as railways, roads, dams and wind farms all pose problems for herders in one way or another. In the case of wind farms, the problem is twofold: First, their placement can disrupt migration routes, either forcing reindeer and their herders to find a new path between winter . . . Complete story »
