Fosen Vind and others lawsuit (re wind farm impact on Sámi People, Norway)
Sources
Snapshot: In 2018, the Sámi people, Indigenous reindeer herders, filed a lawsuit against two separate Fosen Vind wind farm projects with a District Court. They accused the windfarm developers of violating licensing agreements by disrupting reindeer migration routes and that the wind turbines would fragment the land, making it unusable for reindeer herding. In 2019, the Court of Appeal merged the two lawsuits and concluded that Fosen Vind should pay compensation. Both parties petitioned for a reappraisal to the Court of Appeal, which increased the compensation. Both parties, again, appealed in 2021. On 11 October 2021, the Supreme Court of Norway ruled that the wind farm violated the rights of the Sámi people, including Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights . On 7 March 2024, it was announced that an agreement was reached between the Sámi people and the government to end the dispute over the wind farm. Under the agreement, the wind farm will remain in operation but includes provisions to protect the Indigenous culture. The case is closed.