Nature protection board to receive preliminary bird findings in September

The Nature Protection Board will receive a preliminary report in September on bird movements in Klivaløkshagi on Sandoy, according to Kringvarp Føroya. The company planning to build wind turbines cannot begin work until the results are available.

The survey is being carried out by the Scandinavian consultancy Niras.

In August last year, the Nature Protection Board decided that bird movements between breeding areas and feeding grounds should also be examined. The survey was to run for a full year because Vernd’s environmental impact assessment had not addressed bird movements.

The company that won the tender was required to submit a report on how the survey would be conducted, and the board had to approve the methodology. According to documents obtained by Kringvarp Føroya, the board approved the methodology in December. It required two observation stations during each survey period, surveys only on days with suitable weather and records of the weather conditions.

The board has told the relevant institutions that its final decision will be based on the results in the final report. However, it has reserved the right to ask further questions about the circumstances described in that report before making a final decision.

Kringvarp Føroya reports that the survey is progressing well. Bird movements were to be examined eight times, and six surveys have so far been completed. The first took place in February, while the last is scheduled for October. The final report is expected to be submitted at the end of October. Two preliminary findings have been produced so far.

In February last year, a company owned by Johan í Niðristovu, which also operates wind turbines elsewhere, received a conditional permit to install seven turbines. A conditional permit means the company cannot proceed until it has received approval from the Nature Protection Board and obtained a building permit. The company won the tender and, under the agreement, will receive nearly 27 øre per kilowatt-hour.

In September last year, the Environment Agency granted environmental approval for the wind turbines in Klivaløkshagi. Eight residents of Sand appealed the decision but were recently informed that their appeal had been rejected.

The same eight residents also asked the Environment Agency in August last year to introduce emergency protection for Klivaløkshagi under the new Nature Protection Act. Under Article 27 of the act, the minister responsible for environmental affairs can impose emergency protection on specific areas to prevent damage to natural values. The protection remains in force for two years.

The eight residents have not yet received a response from the Environment Agency to that request.

There has been opposition to the plan to install seven wind turbines in Klivaløkshagi, which lies between Gróthúsvatn and Søltuvík. In 2024, a group submitted nearly 1,000 signatures to the government opposing the plan. The project has since been moved farther north.