Øyfjellet Wind Park started as a local initiative, with broad support from the local population and among local decision-makers. The project has been through an extensive licensing process with approval from local and national authorities. Øyfjellet Wind Park is now a significant wind power producer, supplying local Norwegian industry with renewable energy. The wind park is a long-term contributor to employment, growth and development in the whole region.
Norway has committed to achieving ambitious climate targets. The aim is to reduce emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. To achieve this goal, there is a great need for more renewable energy. Projects such as the Øyfjellet wind park are thus crucial for reaching Norway's climate goals.
Øyfjellet wind park creates significant value for the local community. The wind park generates NOK 35 million annually through property tax, income tax, land rental payments, local contracts, etc. In addition, Øyfjellet has committed to the following:
- To give the public access to the mountain through contributions to the financing of the local hiking trail Helgelandstrappa (Helgelandstrappa)
- To keep the newly built 72 km road open to the public for walking and cycling
- An annual contribution of NOK 250,000 to community activities locally, which the municipality decides for which purposes the funding will be allocated to.
- Ensure that infrastructure linked to the wind park can be used by the planned gondola project, which will give local residents and tourists a spectacular experience up and down the mountain (still in the planning phase)
In addition to the direct benefits for the local community, the wind farm will have significant ripple effects by supplying Alcoa with renewable energy:
- Alcoa is a cornerstone company that employs 550 people and has an annual capacity of 200,000 tonnes of aluminium.
- A 15-year fixed price contract (PPA) has been entered into with the aluminium smelter in Mosjøen. A competitive price is particularly important when energy prices are high.
- The clean electricity from Øyfjellet covers more than a third of Alcoa's annual consumption and facilitate the production of low-carbon aluminium.
The Transparency Act
Øyfjellet Wind AS's work with human rights and decent working conditions
For Øyfjellet Wind, sustainability is at the heart of what we work with, and this must be reflected in everything we do. For us, social sustainability is a prerequisite for sustainable operations.
Øyfjellet Wind is covered by the Transparency Act, which entered into force on 1 July 2022. This means, among other things, that Øyfjellet Wind will conduct due diligence assessments on our impact on human rights and decent working conditions. These due diligence assessments and how we work with the Transparency Act will be explained in a report, which will be published on our website no later than 30 June every year. The report for 2023 can be viewed on the Norwegian version of this page.
Due diligence is a continuous process, and Øyfjellet's goal is a real improvement in our own operations and supply chain.
If you have any questions or inquiries related to the Transparency Act, please get in touch with us at aapenhet@oyfjelletwind.no.
What is wind power?
Put simply, wind power is the movement of air in the atmosphere that occurs when there is a difference in pressure between bodies of air. Such differences in pressure occur as a result of the force of gravity or the sun’s warming of the Earth’s surface. For example, cold air is heavier than warm air so the force of gravity pulls cold air down, creating high pressure at ground level.
Physics dictates that differences in pressure must be evened out and this occurs by bodies of air circulating from areas with high pressure to areas with low pressure. This movement contains lots of stored energy. This potential energy – wind power – can be harvested by the use of wind turbines such as those in the Øyfjellet Wind Park. The turbines we have at Øyfjellet are advanced technological products, designed to produce the greatest amount of power possible with the least possible environmental impact. This provides a stable, inexhaustible source of energy with which to meet the substantial Norwegian energy demands in an environmentally conscious way – and helps advance the transition to a low emission society.
