Ordskifte om Øyfjellet vindkraftverk

Abstract

This thesis investigates the public debate about Øyfjellet Wind Power Plant. Taking its point of departure in source material from the licensing process responsible for allowing the realization of the construction, it answers the thesis question: which arguments have been posed for and against the construction of Øyfjellet Wind Power plant, and how has the discussion evolved since its origin in 2011 and up until 2019. The arguments are shown to have been intrinsically tied to the parties’ motivational grounds for taking part in the debate, and more and more parties took an active interest following the development of the case. The main arguments for constructing the power plant were generally posited by public authorities and market industry actors. The arguments were that the construction of the power plant would yield great value in achieving climate goals for the state of Norway, and that it would catalyze economic growth in local areas. The most common arguments against were generally put forward by organizations and institutions wishing to protect the rights of Saami reindeer herders, or by parties who spoke in the interest of protected natural areas. The debate also saw a contrast in the use of climate change as grounds for arguments for parties on both sides. Thus, climate change and potential benefits or repercussions were utilized in arguments both for and against constructing the wind power plant. Furthermore, the Saami herders went from being a non-existent talking point in the debate about the construction to becoming a central theme. However, this thesis illuminates how parties involved in the case were preoccupied with seeming like they worked in the interest of Saami reindeer herders, but that they did not demonstrate this in their course of actions. All in all, this thesis provides a rigorous introduction of public source material in the construction of the power plant, and it supplies a discussion about how the debate was used to further the cause of parties wishing to realize the construction.