Planning panel places Mosfellsheiði wind farms in protection category

Two proposed wind farms on Mosfellsheiði have been placed in a protection category in new recommendations from the panel overseeing Iceland’s framework plan for energy development, mbl.is reports. The projects, Mosfellsheiðarvirkjun I and II, have been under development by Zephyr Iceland for several years.

The panel assessed wind power projects previously listed in a waiting category. Along with Mosfellsheiði, it recommended protection for a proposed plant at Sólheimar in Laxárdal, in the Dalir district, and Hrútmúlavirkjun in Skeiða- and Gnúpverjahreppur. Proposals for Alviðra in Borgarfjörður and Hnotasteinn on Hólaheiði, near Melrakkaslétta, will remain in the waiting category. A proposed plant at Garpsdal by Gilsfjörður is the only project, and the first, the panel has recommended for the utilisation category.

The Mosfellsheiði plans envisaged two wind farms, one in Grímsnes- and Grafningshreppur and the other in Ölfus. Each was expected to produce up to 75 megawatts using about 30 turbines, each as much as 200 metres tall. The panel’s recommendations mean the projects cannot proceed under the framework plan.

The panel said the turbines would be highly visible and could have significant negative effects on tourism and outdoor recreation. They could also interfere with air traffic, as the airspace over Mosfellsheiði is widely used for flight training. The panel noted that the location is close to transmission lines carrying electricity to the capital region.

Zephyr Iceland spokesperson Ketill Sigurjónsson said Mosfellsheiði was probably better suited to wind power than any other area. He said the land had already been altered by power infrastructure, including high-voltage lines and a major geothermal pipeline, and that the area had good wind conditions and was close to the country’s largest electricity-use area, where demand is growing fastest. He said the company expected to submit comments on the decision.

The panel also cited effects on landscapes in keeping Alviðra in the waiting category, saying a wind farm there would be visible from a long distance. It noted local opposition to the proposal, which is planned on private land at Hafþórsstaðir and Sigmundarstaðir, on Grjótháls between Norðurárdalur and Þverárhlíð. At Hnotasteinn, the panel pointed to the prominence of tall turbines on the low-lying plain.

At Sólheimar, the panel said the location was unsuitable for a wind farm partly because of birdlife. The area lies on routes used by white-tailed eagles travelling between Breiðafjörður and Húnaflói.