Scholar urges Parliament to reclaim power plant licensing

Iceland should consider giving Parliament authority over licences for hydropower plants again, according to a legal scholar, as the current process has become cumbersome. Morgunblaðið reported on the proposal, which appears in an academic article by Ragnheiður Elfa Þorsteinsdóttir, a lecturer at the University of Akureyri’s law faculty, published earlier this year in the online journal Nordicum-Mediterraneum.

The article says the necessary consultation at the administrative level, including during environmental impact assessments, should be completed before Parliament considers a licence. Parliamentary decisions would be final, subject only to judicial review as permitted by law. Environmental protection, outdoor recreation and interest groups should be able to participate in those court cases, the article says.

Such a system could be more efficient and give the public and Parliament a stronger democratic role. The current licensing process has been criticised as cumbersome because it involves numerous administrative bodies and appeals.

The article points to the difference between the rules in place when Kárahnjúkavirkjun was licensed and those used for Hvammsvirkjun. The process took three years for Kárahnjúkavirkjun and 22 years for Hvammsvirkjun.