The government announced today that it is giving the green light for the two large offshore wind farms Kattegatt syd and Galene. Both are located off the coast of Halland, a few kilometers outside Varberg and Falkenberg.
Tobias Carlsson (L), first vice chairman of the municipal board in Varberg, thinks that Kattegat syd can be built, but is against the decision concerning the smaller Galene park.
— We are not exactly happy, I can say that. Of course it will be discussed at coffee time.
He is concerned about how the decision may affect tourism and business linked to the values found in the coastal environment.
– Then we think that we in Varberg contribute to Sweden’s energy supply in a fairly good way with Ringhals already. So we have made sacrifices.
Hard campaigns
In the election campaign, several bourgeois parties along the west coast campaigned against wind power. The Christian Democrats on Tjörn published a picture with enlarged, black wind turbines against an idyllic coastal strip with the text: “Don’t blow us on the sea view.”
The moderates in Varberg wrote a year before the election on their Facebook page that they have nothing against small-scale wind turbines, “but we say no to gigantic fields out at sea.”
Larry Söder, district chairman of KD in Halland, welcomes the government’s announcement.
— They (the wind turbines) will be located 22 and 26 kilometers respectively. I have a hard time seeing that you could see this from land, to be honest.
– The negative is that there are some people in Varberg and Falkenberg who do not think this is positive. It’s probably the sad part, that not everyone agrees on the plans going forward. But if you now think nationally, this is necessary so that we can get the power by 2030 that is needed, says Larry Söder.
He does not think that KD misled people in the election campaign.
— People must be able to express their opinion, even within our party. Then we as a party must take responsibility for Sweden as a whole because we are in government, then we must have energy.
“Feel victimized”
Two additional wind farms named Mareld and Poseidon are planned outside Uddevalla northwest of Gothenburg, but they have not progressed as far in the processes.
Henrik Sundström, municipal councilor for the Moderates in Uddevalla, is deeply critical of the government’s decision today. He writes on Twitter: “SD will get well over 50 percent on the west coast in the 2026 election if this continues”.
– We have gone to local and regional elections stating that we do not want offshore wind power, and most of the people who have voted for the government parties here probably feel it as a gigantic betrayal from Stockholm to release offshore wind power. We feel a bit victimized.
The wind power affects commercial fishing, the local environment and will be visible day and night. All in all, it will be a heavy blow to a regional and cultural identity, he claims.
— I don’t think you understand from Stockholm’s horizon what popular resistance there is here. You touch a nerve in the depths of the people.
— The only thing that hasn’t happened yet is that the opposition hasn’t had time to organize, but the parties that want to use this will get a real boost.
He too sees nuclear power as the answer to the question of how Sweden will get more energy production. Uddevalla’s municipal council has a majority in favor of building a nuclear power plant in the municipality.
“Can fight back
Sandra Johansson, opposition councilor for M in Falkenberg, sees the so-called obstacle lighting – a high-intensity white, flashing light that should be on tall wind turbines – as what annoys people the most.
“I wouldn’t say that the Falkenbergs are positive but understanding of the need,” she says.
She sees Henrik Sundström’s attitude as somewhat cynical and emphasizes that the municipalities cannot influence the government’s decision because the parks are outside their areas.
She is nevertheless skeptical of the harsh rhetoric that some bourgeois parties brought in the election campaign.
— I can really feel that you need to weigh exactly what you say in an election campaign, because it can backfire quite hard on yourself. There, I think we all have a lesson to do, because there is a lot we have to eat afterwards.