The purpose of the government’s initiative is to establish more power than is required to connect to Snøhvit, so that the power situation in Finnmark improves compared with the current situation. The government’s goal is for both more grid and new power production to be in place by 2030. To achieve this, NVE has set Finnmark as a separate criterion for prioritizing licensing cases. NVE has also set a deadline of April 22, 2024 for reporting mature power projects.
Strengthening the power grid
According to NVE, Statnett has already applied for a license for a new 420 kV power line between Skaidi and Adamselv via Lakselv (Skaidi-Lebesby), and from Adamselv to Varangerbotn (Lebesby-Seidafjellet). NVE will first consider the line between Skaidi and Adamselv. However, even with a major upgrade of the network, there is not enough capacity for all the projects that have been reported.
Reported production and prioritization criteria
A total of 26 power projects in Finnmark have been reported to the NVE, corresponding to a total installed capacity of around 10,800 MW. 25 of these are wind power projects, and a project description for the expansion of Alta power station has also been submitted. NVE has established the following criteria to prioritize between the notified projects:
- The municipalities’ planning process, cf. the new requirements for area zoning for wind power in the Planning and Building Act
- County municipal plan and other existing information with relevant area assessments, such as the knowledge base that was prepared for the national framework for wind power
- Participation from reindeer husbandry
- NVE’s general prioritization criteria that are used in the licensing process, as well as considerations for defence interests and the power system
At the information meeting, NVE explained that the reindeer herding participation criterion involves an assessment of how the dialog with the reindeer herding has been and how it will be in the future. The criterion does not require an agreement or consent from reindeer herding.
Time schedule
In order to achieve the government’s goal of new infrastructure and production by 2030, NVE also presented a timetable. The timetable is ambitious and NVE plans to have an overview of prioritized reports in mid-June, consultation of reports in autumn 2024, completion of impact assessments and submission of license applications in 2025, consultation of license applications in 2026 and license decisions in 2027.
The timetable does not include other milestones such as consultation with the reindeer herding industry or any appeals to the Ministry of Energy. Given the level of conflict that has arisen in wind power cases in recent years, it will be difficult to meet the government’s target for new power production by 2030. The prioritization of Finnmark also means that NVE spends fewer resources on license processing in the rest of the country, which, like Finnmark, also needs more grid and production capacity towards 2030.
