Skeiða- and Gnúpverjahreppur council appeals against wind farm construction at Búrfell

The local council of Skeiða- and Gnúpverjahreppur has filed an appeal against planned construction activities for a wind farm at Búrfell. The council leader argues that the appeal is a significant endpoint after prolonged discussions. The council believes that the proposed project violates the regulations governing the case’s parliamentary process.

Haraldur Þór Jónsson, the municipality’s leader, stated that they are processing three phases of the framework plan, but the energy project in question falls under a lesser utilized category that belongs to the fourth phase. “This phase has not been formally addressed by the project management, and it is clear in the laws governing the framework plan that projects cannot be classified without management review,” Haraldur noted.

He also pointed out that the project option, Búrfellslundur, is under their municipality’s jurisdiction, and according to the law, should have taken into account their deferral rights, which were ignored. If the appeals committee sides with the municipality, it would revert the case to the starting point.

“This would naturally mean that Búrfellslundur would be removed from consideration, and Landsvirkjun would need to reapply under the framework plan,” Haraldur explained. He further mentioned that it would take many years before the project could reach a state of viability, and in their opinion, it would ultimately prevent the construction of Búrfellslundur.