Norway shuts down large wind farm over safety concerns

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Norway shuts down large wind farm over safety concerns

The Norwegian government has threatened to shut down a large wind farm in northern part of the country after reports of wind storms destroying turbines, sending parts flying.

Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate NVE, a Norwegian agency that oversees the nation's water and energy resources, wrote a letter to the operator of nstadbl heia Vindpark in Sortland, Norway, expressing concern about falling debris at the site and the broader technical integrity of the plant. The agency said it would consider further action, including a potential government-ordered shut down if the operator doesn't address the situation.

Anne-Johanne Kr kenes, NVE's section head, told FOX Business that there are clear regulations for how wind parks can operate in Norway. This relates to several aspects, i.e. NVE's responsibility as a director is to supervise and ensure that these regulations are followed. NVE received information about falling objects from nstadbl heia vindpark. Kr kenes continued to receive similar reports from the local community. NVE gave the company until October 12 to provide documentation that it was correcting the reported deficiencies. It noted that a shutdown of the plant would be a last resort. Kr kenes said that this won't be the outcome in this case.

The weather and wind in Vester len are probably among the toughest things you can subject such machinery to, Nooraddin told Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. We have always had an ongoing dialogue with the NVE, the municipality and the alpine resort. Complaints of wind turbine parts falling to the ground at the park date back about two years.

In 2018, nstadbl heia Vindpark went into operation and has a total capacity of 50 megawatts.

Norway and other European countries are working on a green transition from fossil fuels to renewable power such as wind and solar. Wind power in Norway has gone up tenfold over the last decade, accounting for 6.5% of the total electricity generation in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency.

Norway will reduce its emissions and help others to reduce their emissions. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St commented at the UN Climate Change Conference in November 2021 that there was no trade-off between mitigation and adaptation. He said that this transition will make a difference in Norway. Our ambition is to develop and export new technology that can be of use beyond our borders. Norway is poised to take a lead in developing ocean-based solutions such as offshore wind, green shipping, carbon capture, utilization and storage, hydrogen and electric mobility.