Leaning on unfinished research – news Troms and Finnmark

The case in summary: A research project has investigated whether the new power line between Troms and Finnmark has affected reindeer behaviour. The researchers believe that the reindeer are to a small extent affected by the power line when it is in operation. Only during the development itself. Reindrifta disagrees and believes that the reindeer avoid grazing both under and near the power line. The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy uses the results from research when granting permits for power developments. The research in Kvænangen may be important for a possible power line to Equinor’s gas plant in Hammerfest. That power line will also pass through reindeer grazing areas. Reinen cares little about the new power line between Troms and Finnmark. The researchers suggest this in two interim reports, but this is not a conclusion. The research is not finished. Nevertheless, this is used as an argument by Statnett to build the power line further from Skaidi to Hammerfest. It is intended to electrify Equinor’s gas plant on Melkøya, and thereby help save the government’s climate goals by cutting one of the biggest sources of emissions in Norway. But the power line will go through reindeer pastures, which is popularly assumed. The Reinbeite district, which has taken part in Statnett’s research, disagrees that the reindeer do not avoid the part of the power line that has been built so far. Reindeer with GPS transmitters Since 2016, researchers have followed the reindeer in Kvænangen in Nord-Troms. They got the new power line between Troms and Finnmark over their summer pasture. The animals have been equipped with GPS transmitters. Using these, the researchers have mapped where the reindeer have moved and stayed from year to year. GPS tracking of reindeer in 2016. The red fields in the map show areas where the reindeer have stayed the most. This is summer grazing, which lasts from May to October. The power line is the black line. The red lines are roads.GPS tracking of reindeer in 2017.GPS tracking of reindeer in 2018.GPS tracking of reindeer in 2019.GPS tracking of reindeer in 2020. This year there was a greater spread of the animals, which the researchers believe may be related to smaller construction activities, and that the reindeer therefore do not gather in larger herds. And when the researchers themselves went out to see the reindeer’s behavior with their own eyes, they noted the following: What animals they saw less than 500 meters from the line had in common was that none of the animals seemed to be disturbed. Whether they were grazing, resting or walking, there was no indication of stress or that they allowed themselves to be stopped by the line. Nature Restoration is behind the research. They have done this on behalf of Statnett, following requirements from the authorities. Research leader is Sindre Eftestøl. Two reports have so far been published, in December 2020 and in June 2022. news has been in contact with Eftestøl several times, but he has not had time to be interviewed. The reindeer owners believe that the reindeer avoid grazing near the new power line in Troms and Finnmark. The reindeer in the picture has nothing to do with the research. Photo: Stian Strøm / news No evidence found But neither GPS nor observations in the field tell the whole picture. Both the researchers and the reindeer herders agree on that. Most of the research to date has taken place while there has been a lot of activity due to construction in the area. What the researchers are asking is how the reindeer behave when the line is finished and there is no other noise in the area. They therefore want to do further research. The work on the line may, for example, have frightened or forced the reindeer to get past the power line. There may have been noise from helicopters, vehicles and people. The reindeer may therefore have behaved unnaturally. Many other factors also affect the reindeer’s behavior from year to year: Variation in grazing conditions Weather Insect stress Snow and snowmelt Pressure from all sides The reindeer grazing district of Fávrrosorda has taken part in the research. They partially disagree with the scientists and believe that the reindeer are moving away from the power line. According to them, the reindeer do not graze under the power line, or 50 to 100 meters from it. They fear that the years of construction work and disturbances may have caused the reindeer to establish new migration patterns. Leader of the reindeer owners in the area, Mikkel Johan Eira, believes that the reindeer can eventually get used to the power line. The problem is many different natural encroachments, which put pressure on reindeer husbandry’s area. He gives an example. Although the work on the power line is finished, another major development is underway. These are tunnels on the E6 through Kvænangsfjellet. The new power line between Troms and Finnmark today stops at Skaidi, but can now be built further west to Hammerfest and the gas plant on Melkøya, and east to East Finnmark. Photo: Stian Strøm / news Perhaps never an answer It is also not certain that you will get a definitive answer. Researchers have tried several times to find out whether power lines affect the reindeer. However, Statnett has a clear understanding of what the research shows so far. In an e-mail, communications advisor Ingrid Zimmermann writes: “The research using GPS transmitters shows that power lines, when they are put into operation, affect the reindeer to a limited extent.” The project manager for the power line between Balsfjord and Skaidi is Jacob Grønn at Statnett. He recently told news that their experience was that the reindeer adapt to the line after the construction work. – We have mitigating measures during the construction period, with shorter stops and other measures to accommodate. It has worked well, he said. If Equinor’s gas plant in Hammerfest is to be electrified, a power line must be extended from Skaidi. It will affect reindeer grazing areas, but Statnett believes that the reindeer will be affected to a small extent, based on research and previous experience. Photo: Allan Klo / news The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy also relies on research when assessing whether projects should be given the green or red light. At the same time, they take some reservations, which the research also takes. Response from the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy Communications advisor Margrete Løbben Hanssen in OED writes to news: “For the operational phase, current research projects that use GPS transmitters on reindeer give relatively clear conclusions that power lines in themselves do not have special effects during the operational phase. The ministry assumes that it cannot be concluded that there is a general avoidance effect of power lines on reindeer herding in the operational phase. Another factor other than avoidance effects is that power lines can represent a barrier for the reindeer when it has to be driven past the line. Research does not provide unequivocal results about barrier effects, but suggests that this will vary depending on topographical and weather conditions. At the same time, the reindeer’s motivation to move between pastures will be an important factor.” In order to gain even more insight into how power lines affect reindeer, Statnett is now considering whether the research in Kvænangen should continue for another year. Fearing for the future of the Reinbeite district, which will be affected by the new power line to Hammerfest, they are doing what they can to stop construction. In the past, reindeer husbandry has also tried to stop the development. When the government gave the green light to build the new and larger power line from Troms to Finnmark in 2015, many in the reindeer herders feared for the future. The line hit 17 different reindeer herding districts. Some of them sued the state to stop the construction, but lost. Eight years later, none of the reindeer herding districts have shut down their operations. An overview also shows that reindeer numbers in almost all districts have remained stable during the period.



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