Response to interpellation 2022/23:203 on the coordination of permit cases for offshore wind power
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
L argues that the government carries out the permit review according to existing routines 1 and prioritizes fossil-free electricity by processing applications expeditiously 1. L claims that the government handles the processes in a legally secure manner according to the Tidö Agreement 2 and allocates funds for faster handling as well as a level playing field for all fossil-free electricity production 2. S wants offshore wind power to be expanded quickly for the green transition 3 and believes there is a consensus in the business community 3. S argues that the government has worsened the conditions by abolishing support 4 and demands that the government withdraw these conditions as well as create long-term rules of the game 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Mr. Speaker! Aida Birinxhiku has asked me if I intend to coordinate permit cases regarding offshore wind power with the Sweden Democrats in the Government Offices.
I would first like to refer to the answer I recently gave to a written question that has been asked on the same theme. When it comes to wind power in Sweden's economic zone, it is the government that carries out the permit process, and the assessment of offshore wind power takes place entirely in accordance with the preparation procedures that exist in the Government Offices. Once the preparation is completed, it is the government that makes the decision.
As I have also previously stated, it is a priority for the government to enable a significantly increased production of all fossil-free electricity, where offshore wind power is a part of the energy mix.
The government recently reached a decision regarding permits for cable laying along the seabed for power transmission from the planned wind farm Kriegers flak off the coast of Skåne.
The Government is currently processing eight extensive applications concerning permits for offshore wind power and is doing everything to ensure that these matters are handled as promptly as possible, without compromising legal certainty. Among these are the two projects that Aida Birinxhiku mentions in the interpellation: Kattegatt Syd and Galatea-Galene. They are examples of such matters that we are currently processing in accordance with our routines.
Aida Birinxhiku (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! Today we produce more electricity than we use, but to meet the green transition, Sweden faces a sharply increased demand for electricity. We Social Democrats implemented several initiatives in government to begin the green industrial revolution in our country. We want those jobs, those investments, and the prosperity that the transition creates to stay in Sweden.
But for this to happen, we need to significantly increase our electricity production here and now. It is something that needs to happen already during this decade and this parliamentary term.
In that time perspective, offshore wind power is the type of power that can be expanded most quickly. Today, there are several applications for offshore wind power projects on the government's desk which together could deliver electricity equivalent to approximately 40 percent of Sweden's electricity consumption. Just for the area off the Halland coast - I am from Halland myself - there are two applications that have already received the green light from the County Administrative Board. There are therefore good conditions to complement the Halland energy mix, which today consists largely of energy from the Ringhals nuclear power plant, with energy from offshore wind power.
In the business community and the energy industry, there is a consensus that the only realistic alternative for increased electricity production here and now is more offshore wind power. The Minister for Climate and Environment's department head Ebba Busch has moved from talking about steel forests and ghost stories during the election to recently stating that she wants more wind power everywhere. The Minister for Climate and Environment also asserts that it is the government's ambition to rapidly expand wind power, and the Minister seems to think it is very pleasant that she and the department head are finally in agreement.
But how much agreement is there really in the government cooperation? The government's new promise to rapidly expand wind power has met strong opposition, especially from the largest party in the government base. The Sweden Democrats are clear that they do not approve of the government's new line on rapidly expanding wind power. They also refer to the Tidö Agreement and demand to be involved in the decisions regarding the offshore wind power projects.
Mr. Speaker! That the government has recently given the green light to Krieger's flak is a step in the right direction. But we Social Democrats want to ensure that it is not the only one. There are still several permit applications waiting for the government's approval, where the Sweden Democrats, who obviously oppose the government's line on rapidly expanding wind power, demand to be involved.
I want to know if the Minister will allow the opponents within the own government base to put a stop to the industry's transition, new Swedish jobs, and lower electricity prices for households and companies. For we simply cannot afford it when Sweden enters a recession with the lowest growth in all of Europe.
Therefore, I want to repeat my question to Minister Romina Pourmokhtari: Will the Minister coordinate the permit cases for offshore wind power with the Sweden Democrats - yes or no?
Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)
Mr. Speaker! Wind power is needed if we are to manage the massive transition that we are in the midst of. The business community wants it, and it is good for Sweden.
To Dagens industri, the Minister for Climate and Environment says that she is frustrated by the culture war in the energy debate. I quote: "I think the trench warfare situation, where on one side there is shouting about nuclear power and on the other about wind power, is very numbing and strange considering the situation we are in."
We Social Democrats completely agree. We also think it is a degrading culture war.
In Sweden, we produce more electricity than we consume, and domestic production has increased by 10 percent during the recent parliamentary terms. It is fantastic, and it has been one of the prerequisites for the green industries having chosen to invest in just Sweden. So yes, it is numbing with this culture war. But that culture war is not being waged by us or, for heaven's sake, by any other party in the opposition.
"Say no to the steel forests of wind turbines that are forced upon the Swedes and which destroy our nature" and "Vattenfall must in its rhetoric stop acting like wind power lobbyists" are quotes from the current Minister for Energy and Business, Ebba Busch, and the Sweden Democrats' Tobias Andersson.
The government needs to see its own responsibility in the culture war that is currently taking place. They joined forces with the Sweden Democrats and did everything to discredit wind power. This is a culture war that has been started by the government and the Sweden Democrats, and now the government is complaining about it. One walks straight into the fire, and then one becomes worried that it is burning – strange.
Ebba Busch claims that she has been stressed because this government is described as negative towards wind power. Obviously, the government has no grasp of what they themselves ran on in the election. It is good that reality came and haunted when the M, KD and L installed themselves in the Government Offices. But, Romina Pourmokhtari, there is something else haunting the Government Offices, namely the SD.
Now the minister has announced that it is the government that owns the issue of permits for wind farms, but that is not the case if you ask the Sweden Democrats, who say that everything should be coordinated in the coordination office.
In the Tidö Agreement, it is stated that one is willing to overturn previous decisions that offshore wind farms should be able to have parts of the connection costs paid by Svenska kraftnät. The Sweden Democrats stand firm in their criticism of wind power and comment with a quote such as this: "We have experienced a shift in the rhetoric, but in substance there shall be no difference."
They are worsening the conditions for wind power. They want to steer an investigation on wind power away from presenting the best solutions. They do not agree with the party that the government is sitting on the lap of. Throughout the entire election campaign, they were critical of wind power, and now Swedish jobs and Swedish competitiveness are being risked because of this. It is good that the government is now living in reality, but obviously the Sweden Democrats are not. Therefore, I ask the Minister Pourmokhtari: How much do the Sweden Democrats have to say?
The Sweden Democrats are the largest party in the government support and have expressed doubt that the government should make or be allowed to make decisions on these matters without the Sweden Democrats being involved. Can we expect that the other permits for the offshore wind power will be a matter for the government to make decisions on, or does Tidö Palace need to be rented again so that deliberations can take place before new offshore wind power comes to Sweden?
Adrian Magnusson (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! It is extremely important with energy production from all types of energy sources - the Minister surely agrees. And we cannot afford to let applications for offshore wind power lie and wait. We must therefore really hope that the government speeds up the processes and does not drag its feet.
The Minister mentions, for example, the Kriegers flak park, an important example of offshore wind power.
Mr. Speaker! The Minister claims here today that the issue of the expansion of wind power is a high priority for the government. At the same time, a culture war against wind power is underway across the country, in many cases driven by the Minister's colleagues on the political right wing. Not least in Skåne, where I am from, it is more the rule than the exception that a culture war against wind power is waged by the political right. The M, KD, and SD government in Skurup, for example, says no to all plans for the expansion of offshore wind power despite promised pledges from the company that wants to establish the wind farm that it will lead to cheaper electricity for the municipality's residents.
In other municipalities in Skåne, wind power is described as almost environmentally hazardous when the Sweden Democrats speak out. Every opportunity is taken to try to stop offshore wind power installations - every opportunity.
There are obviously forces, not least from the Sweden Democrats, who do not want wind power. At the same time, the Minister here claims that the absolute largest party in the government base lacks influence over the wind power installations.
Mr. Speaker! Everyone here in the chamber and most out there probably know about the Sverigedemokraternas completely dominant influence over the government and its policies. Not much happens without approval from the largest party within the political right.
Mr. Speaker! The question that then arises in many people's minds is: What is the Minister's word worth? Will the Minister be able to realize what she says, or will she be forced to let the Sweden Democrats into her office and let the Sweden Democrats decide over the existence or non-existence of the wind farms?
My question to the Minister is: Who governs at the ministry regarding the issues of the offshore wind farms? Is it the Minister, or is it the Sweden Democrat party leadership?
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Mr. Speaker! Yes, there were many exciting questions raised here, but let us begin with the fundamental. In the interpellation itself, Member Birinxhiku reflects very clearly on the importance of us expanding our fossil-free energy production.
It is fantastic that we can now be so open about the fact that there are many parties that suddenly are interested in expanding fossil-free electricity production. It was only a few weeks, if not some weeks, before election day that the Socialdemokraterna decided to change words in their documents - from renewable to fossil-free. It was also only a few weeks before the election that the Socialdemokraterna chose to enter election compasses and change their answers from being quite critical of nuclear power to suddenly being quite positive.
So, one stands here and speaks about the culture war that, at least for me, I have been critical of for quite a long time on the energy front. As a politician, I ran for the Riksdag with the slogan: We need both wind power and nuclear power to manage the climate transition. It is fantastic to hear that there is suddenly strong support for such a line within a party like the Socialdemokraterna, where they have expressed themselves in very interesting ways regarding nuclear power over time.
Mr. Speaker! Member Vencu Velasquez Castro is speaking about the same thing, about precisely the political conflict that exists surrounding energy policy, and argues that we would have contributed to that war to a large extent. Let me be clear in saying that the Social Democrats, Sweden's largest party, have to a large extent been responsible for the irresponsible development that has occurred in this area, but they have also driven the debate.
I wonder if you members sitting here in the chamber were present when the Social Democrats had their party congress and your party leader spoke. I quote: Of course we should speed up electrification, but not with new nuclear power. It is too expensive. Is anyone eager for higher electricity prices?
Laughter erupted in the chamber. Was it any of you who laughed at the party leader's funny joke about us not having more nuclear power? And then one noticed, before the election campaign, that the opinion polls turned and suddenly became positive on the issue.
No, so we are not going to handle the energy policy - by swinging back and forth - but here we are unequivocally clear that the entire government stands behind expanding the fossil-free production of energy and electricity in Sweden.
But now the debate is about offshore wind power, and it is a very exciting area to follow. And if it were the case that one actually followed these issues a bit more carefully, one would note that this prejudice that it takes a very long time to build out other production is based on completely outdated information. If it were the case that one perhaps did as previous Social Democratic ministers in my position and watched Chernobyl films on Netflix and reflected on nuclear power from that, one might think that it takes 10-15 years. But there is a modern development of nuclear power in the same way that a development of wind power is occurring. And we need both to manage the transition.
Aida Birinxhiku (S)
Mr. Speaker! I understand if those listening to this debate get the impression that we Social Democrats and this government are and always have been in complete agreement on wind power. But that is not the case.
In the election, we saw that the government parties, together with the Sweden Democrats, chose to paint fictional oppositions between wind power and nuclear power instead of having a serious debate where one sees the potential in all types of energy. The same parties spread, and obviously continue to spread, inaccuracies about the energy policy that previous governments have pursued, even though all government parties have had a decisive influence over the energy policy that has applied until now. This applies in particular to the incorrect claim that previous governments have decommissioned fully functioning nuclear power. The decisions on decommissioning were made by the owners on market-based and safety grounds. And the Minister knows this very well.
After the election, this government and the Sweden Democrats were quick to worsen the conditions for offshore wind power by abolishing the support for its expansion. Both researchers and the industry have warned that wind power will not be given the right conditions with this government.
I therefore welcome that the government has shifted its rhetoric. But if the government seriously wants to begin conducting a serious energy policy, it is time to move from words to action.
Firstly, the government must withdraw the worsened conditions for wind power.
Secondly, the government must speed up the permit processes. And here, the Social Democrats have presented several proposals and submitted a committee initiative to simplify the permit process for wind power. So now it is time for the government to act if it is serious about accelerating the expansion of power production in Sweden, especially considering that the government, according to the list of government bills, has not submitted any of its own proposals.
For the third, the government must create long-term rules of the game for Swedish energy production. Therefore, I regret that the government refuses to invite cross-bloc energy talks, despite several requests from our side.
Last but not least, the government must promptly make decisions on the remaining wind power projects. When it comes to this issue, the Minister seems to emphasize that the government alone makes decisions on the wind power projects without involving the Sweden Democrats and that the contradictions that exist in the government basis will not affect the decisions.
If it is the case that the government wants to rapidly expand wind power, and if, in any case, according to the Minister's opinion, there are no obstacles to doing so within the government cooperation, it seems that we can assume that the government intends to approve the remaining applications.
Mr. Speaker! My question to Minister Romina Pourmokhtari is therefore: Does the Minister intend to approve the remaining permit applications for offshore wind power that receive clearance from the County Administrative Board?
Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)
Mr. Speaker! This government must begin to realize that it is the one governing the country. I believe that the minister needs to realize that it is she who sits in the government and not the Social Democrats.
(Minister ROMINA POURMOKHTARI (L): Thank you, good God!)
It seems that the government is very engaged in Swedish electricity production. But at the same time, the minister, when we have a debate about offshore wind power, chooses to only talk about nuclear power. I think it is quite clear where this government stands when it comes to wind power.
But it is good that Minister Pourmokhtari, in any case, recognizes all the benefits of wind power in the media. But the factor that the Sweden Democrats and their opposition to wind power represent is reminded to the government time and again. Therefore, I wonder if it would not be better to, as my colleague Aida Birinxhiku asked, invite cross-bloc conversations.
If the government wants to put an end to this culture war which, according to Pourmokhtari, is numbing and strange given the situation we are in, I believe it is time to get up from the Sverigedemokraternas knees and start acting for Swedish electricity production.
Our door is open. But – I believe I must repeat myself – it is not we who sit in government power. It is you who do, and now you must face the consequences of hooking up with the Sverigedemokraterna and initiating a culture war against wind power to get the keys to the Government Offices.
After this debate, we will see what the government intends to do - invite cross-bloc dialogue or dance to the tune of populism. We can hope that Romina Pourmokhtari realizes that it is she who is the Minister for Environment and Climate and chooses to take responsibility for Swedish electricity production.
Adrian Magnusson (S)
Mr. Speaker! As Member Vencu Velasquez Castro said here before me, the Minister should probably leave the opposition role and realize that it is she who is the Minister and responsible for these issues and not any of us three who are here in the chamber tonight.
We received no answer to Member Birinxhikus question, but we did still get some kind of answer as to whether it is the Sverigedemokrater who rule the Minister's working days or not. If it is the case that it is not the Sverigedemokrater who rule and if it is now so important to get these wind farms in place, then it is only for the Minister to approve the applications. Then it is only for the Minister to leave the chamber, dash over to the department and put his signature on the decisions. But if it now cannot happen, if these decisions cannot get this signature from the Minister, then perhaps it is after all the case that the Minister is tied by the Sverigedemokratiska party leadership, tied by the political force on the far right that the government has chosen to join forces with and which actually rules over the Minister's portfolio.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Mr. Speaker! This is a very exciting debate. But let me point out with all due respect that you are having a debate with me. I am the liberal Minister for Climate and Environment. And, Mr. Speaker, when one listens to the contributions here, it can sound as if one wants to have a discussion with other parties that are not present in the chamber and who are not in the government.
I can understand that it is a bit difficult to understand. One wonders who it actually is that makes the decisions, one has read things in the newspaper and one wonders what it is that actually applies. Then it is perfectly excellent that in this government, unlike previous governments, there do not exist secret papers that no one is allowed to see. Instead, there is a Tidö Agreement that is fully open for all citizens, for all members of parliament, and for everyone who is interested in how our work is designed to be taken out and read. If one would bother to do that, one would very clearly discover that when it comes to permit cases, it is a developed process in Swedish public administration that occurs in a legally secure manner, and one takes into account various factors. Then the decision is made, after a proposal from the relevant official, by the government quite simply. There are no question marks. It is the government that handles permit processes. That is how the order looks.
Here, people are talking about several different parts of offshore wind power. People are talking about the importance of long-term agreements and about how it is of the utmost importance that we have such agreements. But, Mr. Speaker, it becomes a bit difficult to have long-term agreements with parties that do not really seem to know what they actually think. They change their minds back and forth depending on public opinion and popular support. They change their minds when war suddenly breaks out and more and more people understand the importance of Europe not being dependent on Russian gas. When the prices on electricity bills climb upwards – then it suddenly becomes time to change one's political opinion.
But, Mr. Speaker, if one had taken into account the facts, the physics, and the science regarding how energy policy needs to be designed to hang together with a robust system, a system that can build up, can be independent, and can stand strong in times of war and crisis – then one would have quite quickly discovered that it does not pay to end up in this trench warfare over whether one likes nuclear power or wind power most.
Nevertheless, Mr. Speaker, it seems to be the only or at least a large part of what I get to discuss at regular intervals, even though my party, unlike other parties - whatever they may think - has for a long time been clear about our vision of expanding Sweden's fossil-free electricity production. And that is what we are doing now as well.
We have processes for how the work is carried out, and the previous government handed over seven major applications for me to take into account. I do not know if it was the case that the previous government and the government base were critical of offshore wind power, but I would not believe that was the basis for why I have a number of cases handed over to me. It is simply about how our processes are designed and how we handle matters in a legally secure manner in Sweden.
It is in this way that this government continues to work, while we provide additional funds so that the handling of our permit applications can proceed faster. We have provided 15 million kronor so that the work can proceed as quickly as possible, while we work on our permit processes from a long-term perspective.
It is not actually that I want to expand, but this government is expanding.
Aida Birinxhiku (S)
Mr. Speaker and Minister! I want to use my final speech to emphasize what is at stake.
It is now the business sector that decides where they will place their investments in the green transition, and they will end up where the energy demand can be met. If electricity production in Sweden does not increase here and now, we risk losing these investments. We risk losing tens of thousands of new Swedish jobs, and we risk even higher electricity prices.
All types of power, from wind power to nuclear power, are needed to meet Sweden's electricity needs. But we have different time perspectives to consider, and when it comes to increasing power production here and now, offshore wind power is absolutely crucial.
The government wants more wind power, but the Sweden Democrats want less wind power. The Minister emphasizes that the government makes decisions on the wind power projects, but the Sweden Democrats demand that they should be involved. These double messages create anything but clear rules of the game for Swedish energy production. After this debate, it has hardly become clearer whose line actually applies, but it is something we will notice in the government's handling of the permit cases.
Mr. Speaker! Now it is up to the Minister for Climate and the Environment and the rest of the government to create the right conditions for wind power, speed up the permit processes and promptly make decisions on the remaining wind power projects. The government must take responsibility for Sweden's electricity production during this mandate period - for the investments, for the jobs and for the prosperity in our country.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank Member Birinxhiku but also others for good additions in this important debate.
We have a lot of work to do regarding energy issues, and I am very grateful that we now also have a government with a majority in the chamber that is well-prepared for the work that will need to be done during the mandate period. In the Tidö Agreement, it has been clear how the design should take place and what needs to be done to build up a robust system that can meet the future we are heading towards, where we need a much, much larger supply of fossil-free electricity production.
I can assure Member Birinxhiku that there will be no danger for us in moving forward. We are already in the process of allocating funds to work as quickly as possible on looking at how the permit processes are carried out and on granting permits when they are on our desks. But it is also about not favoring but about building up a level playing field that ensures we get a rapid expansion of all fossil-free electricity production.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.