The Fosen case arouses strong emotions in the reindeer owner from Eastern Finnmark. More than ten years ago, the district signed a contract that allowed wind turbines at Raggovidda in Eastern Finnmark. In the middle of their reindeer herding district. She admits that the district received a compensation sum for giving up grazing land, but she says that this was not decisive for them saying yes. – Had we known what we know today, we would never have signed. But we felt very pressured. Today we deeply regret it, says the 43-year-old. – It is an unpleasant feeling for us, who are so concerned that the next generation should be able to drive as well as we have done, that it is our signature on those papers, says the reindeer owner. Utsi tells of a time when everyone talked about the green shift and that wind turbines were an environmentally friendly and suitable alternative. Not least in Eastern Finnmark, where there were large expanses and a lot of wind. – It was a Klondyke atmosphere. Everyone was going to set up windmills everywhere and there was no question of saying no, It was a story everyone bought, says Utsi. – Were you afraid of ending up as a scapegoat? To stand in the way of the green shift? – Yes, we did. Leader in reindeer herding district 7 Rákkonjárga in Eastern Finnmark says she felt pressured to say yes to wind turbines many years ago. Now it’s too late to turn around. Photo: Samuel Frode Grønmo / news She says that they had hardly seen a wind turbine before and that they got the impression that this was not so bad. But the consequences showed up quickly, she says. Utsi says that the reindeer shy away from the wind turbines and, especially in the spring, the reindeer turn and go out of the area they were actually going into. – This means that we have to be much more vigilant and use more resources to keep up with the reindeer. They also cause extra strain on the reindeer, which we have to move in the spring, so that they can have their calf in peace, she says. Another thing is that the reindeer move earlier towards the autumn pasture, which means that the reindeer owners have to spend a lot of time and effort driving them back. – This has a domino effect right through to our winter pastures and this is demanding for people and animals, she says. Although it is too late for them, she hopes the Fosen case will make it more difficult to build wind turbines in the rest of Finnmark. In Eastern Finnmark, 300–450 wind turbines are planned in the coming years. – If everything is to be carried out, it will not be livable either for people or reindeer, says Utsi. 1) Davvi wind power plant 2) Digermulen wind power plant 3) Laksefjorden wind power plant 4) Sandfjellet wind power plant Reindeer district 13 – Siskit Čorgaš and Lágesduottar. 99 people are part of 19 sii shares. has many moving and moving beds in the area (marked with green lines). The wind turbines need new 420 kV lines to send out the power (marked with red lines). In addition, an extensive road network must be built to the facilities. Fear of trouble In Finnmark there is a nervous atmosphere after the Fosen case. Several fear that it could contribute to inhibiting development in a county where almost every square meter is reindeer grazing land. The Labor Party mayor in Vadsø, Wenche Pedersen, has long been concerned about the government’s handling of the Fosen case. She says that she raised the issue with the government early on. – My analysis has been that if we don’t handle this case correctly, it could become a symbolic case, which could destroy other projects, says Pedersen. She believes the Fosen case fully shows how important dialogue is in land matters. – And we have to do things in the right order, says the mayor. Will it become more difficult to develop power and develop new jobs in a county threatened with displacement is the fear. Wenche Pedersen, mayor of Vadsø municipality, is critical of the government’s handling of the Fosen case. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news Business developer in Berlevåg, Kjell Richardsen, thinks the same. He dreams of building a hydrogen factory in the municipality, but for that he needs more power. Varanger kraft has built several wind turbines in Berlevåg, but wishes to expand the wind farm. The Sami Parliament has said no to this. Richardsen hopes that dialogue with reindeer herding will lead to progress. – If we are to get anywhere, we have to talk together and we have to deal with the rights reindeer herding has, he says. Knowledge and dialogue In 2021, there was a change in the Sami Act whereby the municipalities were given a duty of consultation in Sami matters. This means that the municipalities are obliged to engage in dialogue with, for example, reindeer owners in matters that affect them. Against this backdrop, Richardsen took the initiative a year ago for a preliminary project named Sustainable Local Communities in the Arctic. The municipalities in Eastern Finnmark are included here, Varanger Kraft and Sápmi industrial garden. The project was supported by Finnmark County Municipality. The aim is to take seriously the consultation obligation that the municipalities have towards reindeer husbandry in land matters. Participating in the work is Solveig Ballo in Sápmi industrial garden, who has been project manager. She says that knowledge of each other’s point of view is important for good solutions. – It is absolutely crucial, she says. Solveig Ballo, manager of Sápmi vegetable garden, believes that it will be possible to achieve a viable Finnmark for everyone. Photo: Marie Louise Somby / Árvu Ballo believes it is a myth that reindeer herding says no to all land encroachment. – That is not my impression. My impression is that people are willing to compromise and find solutions. But at the same time, some areas are more valuable to them than others, says Ballo. She hopes and believes that reindeer husbandry and other industries will be able to live side by side in the future. But then wisdom is needed from both sides. – It will require a bit of us and perhaps we have to raise the debate from the comments section on Facebook, to rather start talking together, she says. – Has simmered for a long time Land conflicts between reindeer husbandry and other industries are nothing new in Finnmark, says parliamentary politician and head of the Environment and Energy Committee, Marianne Sivertsen Næss. – What the Fosen case has really only highlighted are conflicts and territorial issues that have been simmering in many municipalities in Finnmark for a long time, says Næss. Marianne Sivertsen Næss and Terje Wikstrøm at a cake party for the electrification of Melkøya. Photo: Allan Klo / news She points to Hammerfest, the municipality in which she has been mayor. – We know that here there have been several projects that have been stopped for 10–15 years, without any progress being made, she says. – Do you fear increased polarization between reindeer herding and others? – It is something I have been worried about for a long time. That we get an “us” and “them” and that we will not be able to get together about further developments in the county, she says. 40 years after the Alta action, the battle for power is again on the agenda. Equinor wants to electrify the gas plant on Melkøya outside Hammerfest as part of the green shift. They have stood first in the queue to get enough power for the job. This could lead to sky-high power prices, and that there will be little left for other business development. This is a crisis, many believe, in a county threatened by evictions where jobs and viable local communities are crucial for Finnmark’s existence. The government has promised that in order to make up for the power shortage and subsequent sky-high electricity prices for people in the north, power will be developed at record speed. But how easy is it in a county where almost every square meter is reindeer grazing land. – We have to make it happen. We cannot help but develop power in Finnmark. Then we will not be allowed to take part in the development that the rest of the country and the rest of the world are taking part in, she says. – Kate Utsi doesn’t buy it even a little. Kate Utsi doesn’t buy the thinking that Finnmark will be depopulated and become a nature reserve if you don’t develop more power. – I’m not buying it. Not even a little, she says. Kate Utsi does not fear a divided Finnmark. She thinks most people do not welcome wind turbines. Photo: Samuel Frode Grønmo / news Utsi admits that everyone needs power, but she believes there is no shortage of power if Equinor is forced to find a solution to electrification, without it affecting the rest of the county. – It is politically controlled and therefore something you can do something about, says Utsi. Utsi does not share the fear of a divided people in Finnmark. – No, I feel that reindeer herding and the Sami have an incredibly large amount of support. I think people see that reindeer herding has a set of values that we need more of, not less, says Utsi. She adds: – Increased consumption is probably the answer for many politicians, but I don’t think the ordinary people on the street agree that we should destroy nature in order to keep up consumption. One last thing she would like to add is that the mantra that Finnmark needs so many new jobs is also not true. – We have never had unemployment as low as now and companies are crying out for labour. To me, it looks as if the politicians, in the absence of better solutions, find it easy to attack reindeer husbandry, says Utsi.
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– Strongly regrets – news Troms and Finnmark
