– I do not think anything of it. It is too little paid out as it is presented now. That is the opinion of Ole Svein Einebærholm, fisherman and co-owner of the fishing boat Vestbris. On Tuesday, he was visited on board the fishing boat by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Støre has ambitions for Norway to become one of the world’s leading nations in offshore wind power. To achieve this, 1,500 turbines will be set up by 2040. This corresponds to the current from almost all Norwegian hydropower. – There will be more war out there – We are very worried. Today we know too little about the consequences that the offshore wind investment will have for fry and fish in the area where the wind turbines will be located, says Siv Madsen who is the daily camper for Fiskebas AS in Florø. The fishermen believe that thorough investigations must first be carried out of what consequences the wind turbines will have for fishing in the area where the wind turbines will be located. They point, among other things, to the large protection zones that surround the current oil installations. – It means that it gets tighter. There is a lot there from before and if this comes in addition, there will be more war out there, says Einebærholm. Secretary General Sverre Johansen of the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association is also uneasy. – We are concerned that we do not know enough before we start with an extensive development. We must be confident that fishing is taken care of and that we get good areas to conduct our activity on, also in the future, he says. Must cooperate In SV, environmental policy spokesman Lars Haltbrekken believes that it is absolutely crucial that the wind power investment is developed in close cooperation with both fishermen and environmental interests. – Therefore, we must proceed step by step and ensure good surveys and evaluations along the way. The fishermen give us food every day from nature’s surplus, it is a resource we must take care of, says Haltbrekken. WANT ANNOUNCEMENT NEXT YEAR: The area of Sørlege Nordsjø II is marked in red. Here, the Storting The Energy and Environment Committee in the Storting will announce and allocate area for offshore wind investment all in 2023. Graphics: Equinor / RWE / Hydro Believe in coexistence In the industry organization Norwegian Offshore Wind, they believe that it is possible to find a passable road that can reduce the level of conflict. – There are some fundamental contradictions. At the same time, there is more room for maneuver when it comes to offshore wind, for each lay the wind farms, says leader Arvid Nesse. He thinks it is important that the government now sees that this is something they want. – It must be further specified, not least for a binding schedule, so that we maintain progress. COOPERATION: Arvid Nesse is a leader in Norwegian Offshore Wind. Photo: Håvard Nyhus / news Has enough knowledge Although skepticism among fishermen is great, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre believes that Norway has enough knowledge today to launch the offshore wind initiative. – It is important that we have research on the consequences of offshore wind, says Støre. He says so and it is important that thorough investigations have been made of the fields, where there may be sea winds, before they go to the announcement. – There is a lot of research already, but we must also take with us the experiences we make along the way after a quarter as the offshore wind operations become more extensive. On board Vestbris, fisherman Ole Svein Einebærholm is clear on what he thinks is needed. – They must find other places for the wind turbines and not place them on the fishing grounds.
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Fishermen worry about the government’s offshore wind plans – news Vestland
