Norway gives thumbs up to Statkraft for wind park
Date: 10-Sep-01
Country: NORWAY
"Environment Minister Siri Bjerke has today confirmed the plan for the Hitra wind park," the ministry said in a statement.
Statkraft's plan, approved by the municipality board of Hitra in March, is to erect 50 wind turbines that can generate a total of 50 megawatts of electricity, it said.
Despite objections to build the wind park by some residents in the area, the ministry said Statkraft's plan would not be a detriment to the local environment.
"The Environment Ministry sees it as very important to get started with the realisation of projects that can contribute to using new renewable energy sources," it said.
The ministry said that it advocated the development of renewable energy sources and would only object if they led to a direct loss of biological diversity or destroy cultural heritages.
Norway, which produces virtually all of its electricity from hydropower sources, faces a growing demand for energy and generally imports power from its Nordic neighbours during cold and dry periods
