The Swedish wind industry is calling on the country’s government to remove permitting barriers and introduce incentives for local authorities to approve onshore wind projects.
Svensk Vindenergi’s chief executive Daniel Badman said the government prevented the so-called Incentive investigation from proposing a state compensation to the municipalities for wind power expansion.
The municipalities receiving compensation when they approve new electricity production is fundamentally very positive, and probably a prerequisite for continued rapid expansion, he added.
However, Badman argued the state, not individual companies, that replaces the municipalities should make this possible.
He said: “An additional compensation requirement on the wind power companies would delay and make the necessary conversion more expensive and in practice correspond to the previously criticized “power tax” for nuclear power.
“It would also increase uncertainty for investors, as such a fee or tax could be increased at any time.
“Never before has there been so much interest from the business community in investing in wind power, and it happens completely without subsidies.
“At the same time, it has never been so difficult to get a permit for wind power expansion.”
Svensk Vindenergi is proposing the government introduces state, long-term and technology-neutral incentives to the municipalities that encourage new electricity production – regardless of whether it is nuclear power or wind power.
The government should also establish a concrete goal of 250TWh of fossil-free electricity production in 2030, which corresponds to an increase of roughly 10TWh per year for the next eight years.
Furthermore, it should give the county administrations the task of, together with the municipalities, identifying suitable areas for wind power.