Faroese municipality highlights lack of legislation on water, solar and wind resources

A dispute over Bakkafrost’s access to water on leasehold land has exposed a gap in Faroese legislation, according to the mayor of Skálavík, as reported by Kringvarp Føroya.

In approximately two weeks, eight million smolt are set to begin swimming at Bakkafrost’s freshwater smolt facility in Skálavík, which employs 35 full-time positions. The water supply for the operation has now been secured after the Agricultural Authority (Búnaðarstovan) took over the water rights from a leaseholder who had refused to grant the company access to water from land he held under lease.

Mayor Linjohn Christiansen of Skálavík said the core problem is an absence of legislation in this area. He also pointed out a structural issue: leasehold land falls under the Ministry of Industry, while energy matters fall under the Ministry of Health and Energy. The division of responsibility between ministries further complicates efforts to establish a clear legal framework governing access to natural resources such as water, solar, and wind on leasehold land.