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Wind Power News: Norway
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission to provide information about industrial wind energy development to readers seeking such information. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the credited organizations or individuals and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
Offshore wind farm noise: from harbor seals to the base of the food web
I recently attended OCEANOISE 2026 near Barcelona as a JPI Oceans science media collaborator. Ocean noise pollution doesn’t get nearly the attention of plastic or warming, but the science being presented there made a strong case for why it should. Joseph Schnitzler and his team at the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW) have been tracking 25 harbor seals tagged between 2015 and 2024 as part of the JPI Oceans PURE WIND project, following them in and around . . . Complete story »
Equinor and EDF floating wind plans in doubt after Norwegian subsidy vote
Floating wind plans of oil giant Equinor and French utility EDF were challenged by a vote in Norway’s parliament ordering the government to review the planned support for a large pioneering project. Two consortia – Norwegian duo Equinor and Vargronn; and EDF and local partner Deep Wind Offshore – each won a site of around 500MW capacity in the qualitative first phase of Norway’s floating wind tender for the Utsira Nord (North) area in December. This allowed the consortia to . . . Complete story »
Når vart hydraulikkolje miljøvennleg?
[A modern wind turbine at around 150–200 meters contains between 1,200 and 1,600 liters of hydraulic oil. How can this be called green energy?] Når vart hydraulikkolje noko vi kan byggje ned naturen vår med – og samstundes kalle det miljøvennleg? Ein moderne vindturbin på rundt 150–200 meter inneheld mellom 1200 og 1600 liter hydraulikkolje. Korleis kan dette kallast grøn energi? No blir det planlagt endå høgare turbinar – heilt opp mot 220 meter. For dei som ønskjer å teste . . . Complete story »
Jorda kan ikke fikses ved å ødelegge naturen
[Are windmills really as good as everyone says? I answer no.] Er vindmøller virkelig så bra som alle sier? Jeg svarer nei. Vindkraftverk forårsaker utrolig mye ødeleggelse av urørt natur. For å sette opp en vindmølle blir det bygd store veier bare for å kunne frakte vindmøllene til der de skal stå. Disse veiene går rett gjennom store områder med urørt natur. Bredden på veiene kan være opp til 20 meter, men selve ødeleggelsene er større på grunn av sprengninger . . . Complete story »
Folkehelse og støy i Marker – politikernes ansvar!
[Noise from wind power plants is one of many impacts that can create great burdens for both people and animals. Many neighbors of wind power plants experience health problems due to noise, shadow casts, and visual pollution with high-intensity flashing lights. These can lead to migraines, atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, ringing in the ears, stress, and depression.] Støy fra vindkraftverk er en av mange påvirkninger som kan skape store belastninger for både folk og dyr. Mange naboer til vindkraftverk . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind farms could bring alien species to a coast near you, finds report
Offshore wind farms could help spread alien species that treat turbines like “stepping-stones” and hitchhike on vessels between countries, warns a new scientific report. The report, a literature review of scientific research on the topic, was published in June by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, an environmental research organisation. Alien species are organisms that spread into new areas where they are not naturally found due to human activities. This can have disastrous consequences. Consider how invasive grey squirrels have . . . Complete story »
Knuste deler ligger urørt etter flere havari: – Burde vært fjernet med en gang
[Wreckage and broken fiberglass are still scattered across a large area at the Sørmarkfjellet wind farm. The company is only now promising to clean up.] Raine Olaf Ørsnes bor like ved Sørmarkfjellet vindkraftverk i Flatanger nord i Trøndelag. Bilder de har tatt de siste dagene viser at knust glassfiber og vrakdeler ligger spredt ut over et større område på over en kvadratkilometer. Tre turbinblad på rundt 14 tonn hver falt ned 17. januar og 15. mars i år. Mandag starter . . . Complete story »
A simple way to reduce wind turbine bird deaths? Painting one blade may help in some places, engineers warn of knock-on effects
Wind turbines kill a lot of birds, particularly eagles and other raptors. The exact number is unknown, because many of the world’s wind farms don’t monitor bird deaths. One mitigation idea to reduce these numbers—and assuage a political argument against wind turbines—is gaining traction: Paint one turbine blade black. Ecologist Roel May spoke with IEEE Spectrum about his 11-year study to reduce raptor deaths, and his surprise at the lukewarm reactions from wind-turbine engineers. How bad are wind turbines for . . . Complete story »
Vestas turbine blade breaks at 130MW Sormarkfjellet wind farm in Norway
Operations at the 130MW Sormarkfjellet wind farm in Norway have been halted after a turbine blade partially fell to the ground, energy company Aneo confirmed. The wind farm, located in Osen and Flatanger, was closed following the incident, with no turbines currently operating. An Aneo spokesperson reported that a series of alarms went off in the control room on Saturday afternoon. “We sent a team out to carry out a visual inspection and it was clear that one blade has . . . Complete story »
Ancient reindeer 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, dams and tourist activities, such as snowmobile and husky trails, have disrupted the well-worn routes that reindeer follow each . . . Complete story »
