There has long been demand for a system so that municipalities can receive more compensation for the wind power that is built. A system that will at the same time attract more municipalities to say yes to new establishments.
Money first – permission later
Åsele is the municipality that already has the most wind power in Västerbotten County. There is interest in building more spinners and now different players have joined forces and developed a new model. It assumes that the wind power company first comes to an agreement with the municipality about the reimbursement. The company then submits an application to build a wind farm.
– We set the game plan for how we will develop wind power in Åsele, and this means that from the beginning we set the total value of the allocation to the local community, says Hans Gunnervall, operational manager of the energy company IOWN.
Can give multi-million sums
There are no ready plans for new wind turbines in Åsele, but a declaration of intent between the parties valid for five years.
– The arrangement means that for a wind farm with 45 plants, around SEK 600 million can go to local development over 30 years, says Andreas From.
The other actors, Norrlandsfonden and Garantia, must, according to the model, ensure that the local community gets to share in the support by lending money to local establishments.
Will you have the financial space to give back to the local community?
– That space exists in our neighboring countries and then it must exist here as well. If we don’t manage to do that, we won’t be able to make the transition, says Hans Gunnervall, operational manager of energy company IOWN.