Norway: the construction of a wind power plant on the Sami winter pastures in Storheia
In 2016 construction began of Norway’s largest onshore wind project, Fosen Wind... Completion is scheduled for 2020. The largest of the six wind power plants is to operate in [...] the area called “Storheia”... Storheia is the main winter pasture area of a southern Sami reindeer-herding community... The wind turbines will make it impossible for them to use some 44% of their winter pastures...
In the opinion of the Society for Threatened Peoples, this project would clearly violate international agreements and human rights conventions... Accordingly, the Southern Sami community have filed legal complaints both at a national as well as at an international level. The legal proceedings are pending...
With the campaign entitled “Turbines Need Sami Consent!”, the Southern Sami people and the Society for Threatened Peoples are looking for Statkraft and Nordic Wind Power DA (and CS and BKW, as well), to stop the project and withdraw the investment. In addition, for all future investments, all stakeholders should commit to UN’s “Free, Prior and Informed Consent” (FPIC), thus ensuring that the rights of indigenous people are taken into account and that their participation and decision-making powers are guaranteed. This also applies to renewable energy projects...