Gone with the wind? The Norwegian licencing process for wind power: does it support investments and the realisation of political goals?

Abstract

The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MoPE) manages the licencing system for Norwegian wind power. Balancing relevant concerns in this process could be considered as Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) in practical wind power policy. Wind power investments have been limited in Norway, investors have left the market and those remaining are jittery towards making investments. This article argues that the licencing system is partially responsible for this situation; the system has, over time, introduced an extra risk element for investors, challenged their patience and hampered investments. Especially MoPE’s handling of appeals has been time consuming and difficult to predict regarding final outcome. The problem is probably lack of common understanding between MoPE and Ministry of Environment (MoE) on how EPI works in practical wind power policy. To speed up investments the pace in the licencing process must be increased and the criteria for balancing relevant interest must be clarified.