Fosen wind farm and Sámi reindeer herders
- Company or project Fosen Vind: The licence area is about 60 km² of a 4,339 km² grazing area, and at most 3% of the grazing area is directly affected by roads and facilities. Fosen Vind
- Communities and civil society Leif Arne Jåma, leader of Sør-Fosen sijte: Turbines and service traffic unsettled the herd; the reindeer lost their natural shyness and moved closer to settlements; the character of the herd changed. Ruralis
Norway's Supreme Court ruled in October 2021 that the licences for two wind farms on the Fosen peninsula were invalid and that the turbines violated the cultural rights of Sámi reindeer herders. The turbines kept operating, and a March 2024 settlement left them in place.
Company figure: a licence area of about 60 km² within 4,339 km² of grazing area. The herders' group leader describes wider effects on the herd.
Status As of March 2024 (latest dated source): the Supreme Court ruled the licences invalid in October 2021; a March 2024 settlement left the wind farm in place, with NOK 5 million for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture.
- Statkraft (owned by the Norwegian state) — Holds 52.1% of Fosen.
- Consortium of Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners and BKW — Holds 40% of Fosen.
- Sámi reindeer herders of Sør-Fosen sijte — Winter pasture on which the Storheia and Roan wind farms were built. Ruralis
- Reindeer herd of Sør-Fosen sijte — According to the group's leader, the herd was unsettled and its character changed. Ruralis
What happened
Fosen Vind was presented as Europe's largest onshore wind project. A 2016 press release from the partnership announced an investment of about €1.1 billion, 278 turbines and a capacity above 1,000 megawatts, and equated the output with the consumption of 750,000 Swiss households. Statkraft, owned by the Norwegian state, holds 52.1% of Fosen. A consortium formed by Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners and the Swiss company BKW holds 40%.
The Storheia and Roan wind farms were built on the winter pastures of Sámi reindeer herders on the Fosen peninsula in Trøndelag. Leif Arne Jåma, leader of the Sør-Fosen sijte (the South Fosen reindeer-herding group), said that the turbines and service traffic unsettled the herd, that the reindeer lost their natural shyness and moved closer to settlements, and that the character of the herd changed. Fosen Vind's own page gives the licence area as about 60 km² within a grazing area of 4,339 km² and says at most 3% of the grazing area is directly affected by roads and facilities.
On 11 October 2021 the Supreme Court of Norway found the operating and expropriation licences of the two wind farms invalid. It ruled unanimously that the wind farm violated the herders' right to enjoy their culture under Article 27 of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The court did not decide what should happen to the turbines, and they continued to operate.
In December 2023 the Norwegian government published an agreement between the Sør-Fosen sijte and Fosen Vind. In March 2024 JURIST reported that Norway had ended the dispute with the Sámi: the wind farm stayed in place, NOK 5 million (about US$473,000) was set aside for Sámi culture, and a new winter pasture was allocated.
- 2016Fosen partnership announces about €1.1 billion investment, 278 turbines, capacity above 1,000 MW
- 202111 October: Supreme Court of Norway finds the licences for Storheia and Roan invalid; turbines keep operating
- 2023December: government publishes an agreement between Sør-Fosen sijte and Fosen Vind
- 2024March: settlement leaves the wind farm in place; NOK 5 million for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
The licence area is about 60 km² of a 4,339 km² grazing area, and at most 3% of the grazing area is directly affected by roads and facilities.
Fosen VindTurbines and service traffic unsettled the herd; the reindeer lost their natural shyness and moved closer to settlements; the character of the herd changed.
RuralisHow it looked
Shown
- Europe's largest onshore wind project; about €1.1 billion; 278 turbines; capacity above 1,000 MW; output equal to the consumption of 750,000 Swiss householdsFosen partnership, 2016 press release
- Licence area of about 60 km² within 4,339 km² of grazing area; at most 3% directly affected by roads and facilitiesFosen Vind · Fosen Vind
Recorded
- The Supreme Court found the operating and expropriation licences of the Storheia and Roan wind farms invalid and ruled that the wind farm violated the herders' cultural rights; the ruling was unanimous.
- The court did not decide what would happen to the turbines; they continued to operate.
- The March 2024 settlement left the wind farm in place and set aside NOK 5 million for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- fosen-vind (undated): Gives the licence area as about 60 km² of a 4,339 km² grazing area and says at most 3% of the grazing area is directly affected by roads and facilities. · Fosen Vind
- norway-government (2023-12): Published an agreement between Sør-Fosen sijte and Fosen Vind on its website (December 2023). · Norwegian Government
- sor-fosen-sijte (2023): Its leader, Leif Arne Jåma, said the turbines and service traffic unsettled the herd, that the reindeer lost their natural shyness and moved closer to settlements, and that the character of the herd changed. · Ruralis
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2021-10-11Claimant wonSupreme Court of Norway: licences for the Storheia and Roan wind farmsSupreme Court of Norway · Administrative · Sámi reindeer herders → not on record
The court found the operating and expropriation licences of the two wind farms invalid and ruled unanimously that the wind farm violated the herders' right to enjoy their culture under Article 27 of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It did not decide what would happen to the turbines, which continued to operate. JURIST
- 2024-03SettledNOK 5m NOK 5 million for Sámi culture (about US$473,000)Settlement ending the dispute over the Fosen wind farmNegotiated settlement · Administrative · Sámi reindeer herders → Norwegian government
JURIST reported in March 2024 that Norway ended the dispute with the Sámi. The wind farm stayed in place; NOK 5 million was set aside for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture was allocated. JURIST
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
- Disputed How far did the wind farms affect the grazing land and the herd?
Figures
- Insufficient Survival rate: Calf survival after loss of winter pasture, from a summary of NRK reporting; source.
Record
- None on record The Supreme Court did not say what should happen to the turbines.
- None on record No fine on the wind-farm owners is recorded.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: about 151 turbines kept operating after the ruling.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: the terms of the December 2023 agreement (additional grazing land, and a veto for the Sør-Fosen sijte over new wind investments once the concession ends). The agreement was published on the Norwegian government's website; the page itself could not be checked.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: in February–March 2023 young Sámi and climate activists blocked ministry entrances in protest, and Terje Aasland, Minister of Petroleum and Energy, apologised on behalf of the government because the licence decision was a human rights violation (KTVZ/CNN, 1 March 2023).
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: calf survival fell to about 22% after the loss of winter pasture, according to a summary of NRK reporting; the source page returned a 404 error.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: the state, rather than the owners, bore the cost of finding new pasture.
Did the harm stop?
The turbines kept operating after the October 2021 ruling and after the March 2024 settlement.
Who paid?
Sámi herders of the Sør-Fosen sijte, who lost winter grazing land to the wind farms; the settlement reported in March 2024 set aside NOK 5 million for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture, and no fine on the owners is recorded.
Sources
Company or project
- The Fosen development and reindeer husbandryFosen Vind · undated
Government and regulators
- Agreement between Sør-Fosen sijte and Fosen VindNorwegian Government · 2023-12
Press and investigations
- National Day in the shadow of FosenRuralis · 2023-03-03
- Norway ends dispute with Sami people over construction of wind farmJURIST · 2024-03-07
- Fosen Sami reindeer herding, Supreme Court, wind powerNorthern Voices · undated
Communities and civil society
- Fosen (English version)Amnesty International Norway · 2023-02
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