Governing Growing Wind Power: Policy Coherence of Wind Power Expansion and Environmental Considerations in Sweden, with Comparative Examples from Norway

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the policy and institutional frameworks guiding land-based wind power expansion in Sweden, assessing their coherence with environmental considerations. It contrasts Sweden's decentralized, municipality-led approach with Norway's more centralized system, highlighting the impact of the Swedish municipal veto on project development and the role of research programs like Vindval in informing concession decisions.

• Sweden has set an ambitious target under the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RES) to have 49% of its total energy consumption supplied by renewable sources by 2020. To support this, the government established a planning framework to build 30 TWh of new wind power by 2020.
• Wind power production in Sweden grew rapidly between 2003 and 2011, with generated electricity increasing from 0.5% of total net production in 2003 to 4.2% (6.1 TWh) in 2011. By the start of 2012, the installed effect reached 2769 MW.
• Sweden and Norway established a common market for Renewable Electricity Certificates on 1 January 2012. The joint goal is to increase renewable electricity generation by 26.4 TWh by 2020 compared to 2012 levels.
• The Swedish concession process for large wind farms (turbines >150m or groups of 7+ turbines >120m) is governed by the Swedish Environmental Code (SEC) and requires approval from the County Environmental Appeal Delegation (CEAD). A critical feature is the municipal right to veto, which allows municipalities to block projects without providing reasons.
• The municipal veto is viewed as a significant risk factor by developers. Swedish Wind Energy (SWE) estimated in 2010 that the veto stopped at least 380 wind farms with a total capacity of 1000MW, including ten projects in areas the municipality had previously identified as suitable.
• Sweden's decentralized governance contrasts with Norway's centralized system. In Norway, the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) is the first instance authority for large wind farms, and municipalities cannot vetoC veto projects.
• The Swedish government funded research programs, specifically Vindren and Vindval, to address environmental impacts. Vindval focused on effects on humans, birds, bats, marine life, and land mammals, and its findings have been used by the Land and Environment Court of Appeal (LECA) to set precedents, such as a 2 km protection zone around golden eagle nests.
• There is a noted knowledge gap regarding the environmental effects of massive wind farms. Current research has focused on smaller installations, leaving the structural and environmental impacts of projects like Markbygden Vind AB (planned 1101 turbines over 500 square km) largely uninvestigated.
• The Swedish Armed Forces act as a consultative body but often function as a de facto veto by preventing wind farm developments, sometimes based on secrecy, which has been identified as a major obstacle to expansion.
• While the Swedish Environmental Code (SEC) and Environmental Quality Norms (EQNs) provide a legal basis for environmental protection, the non-binding Swedish Environmental Quality Objectives (EQOs) have little direct impact on wind power planning, with 14 of 16 goals expected to be missed by their target dates.

APA

Rudberg, P., Weitz, N., Dalen, K., & Haug, J. J. K. (2013). Governing Growing Wind Power: Policy Coherence of Wind Power Expansion and Environmental Considerations in Sweden, with Comparative Examples from Norway. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ProjectReport-Rudberg-GoverningGrowingWindPower-2013.pdf

Chicago

Rudberg, Peter, Nina Weitz, Kari Dalen, and Jens Jacob Kielland Haug. Governing Growing Wind Power: Policy Coherence of Wind Power Expansion and Environmental Considerations in Sweden, with Comparative Examples from Norway. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2013. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ProjectReport-Rudberg-GoverningGrowingWindPower-2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rudberg |first1=Peter |last2=Weitz |first2=Nina |last3=Dalen |first3=Kari |last4=Haug |first4=Jens Jacob Kielland |title=Governing Growing Wind Power: Policy Coherence of Wind Power Expansion and Environmental Considerations in Sweden, with Comparative Examples from Norway |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ProjectReport-Rudberg-GoverningGrowingWindPower-2013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rudberg2013governing, author = {Rudberg, Peter and Weitz, Nina and Dalen, Kari and Haug, Jens Jacob Kielland}, title = {{Governing Growing Wind Power: Policy Coherence of Wind Power Expansion and Environmental Considerations in Sweden, with Comparative Examples from Norway}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-ProjectReport-Rudberg-GoverningGrowingWindPower-2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }