The Norwegian government rejected a United Nations appeal to suspend work over fears of impact on reindeer grazing from the largest single wind farm in the 1GW Fosen development, set to be Europe’s biggest onshore wind complex.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights asked Norway to halt the Statkraft-led project so a complaint could be investigated over the 288MW Storheia project’s effect on reindeer populations and their herders.

Norway’s Petroleum and Energy Ministry said there is no basis for complying with the request – which is not legally binding on governments – noting that the country had not been given the opportunity to comment on the objection before a suspension was called for.

The project had been “thoroughly tested” in the Norwegian courts and racial discrimination against reindeer herders hadn’t arisen as an issue, it added.

Project company Fosen Vind – a consortium of Statkraft, fellow utility TrønderEnergi and European investor consortium Nordic Wind Power – has struck an agreement on reindeer husbandry as part of its consents, the ministry said.

Storheia is about to enter a crucial construction phase, with turbines due to be installed between April and August next year, and preparatory infrastructure work needed before then.

Wind OEM Vestas is building and equipping the six Fosen wind farms with its 3.6MW turbines, amid what are described as some of Europe's best wind conditions in central Norway.

The 256MW Roan wind farm, the first Fosen sub-project, was grid-connected earlier this year. Statkraft plans to complete the other projects for Fosen – Hitra II, Storheia, Geitfjellet, Harbaksfjellet, and Kvenndalsfjellet – between the third quarter of 2019 and the third quarter of 2020.

Fosen is a key plank of Statkraft’s ambitions to grow its onshore wind base to 6GW by 2025, although much of that will come abroad.

Norway had 1.16GW of onshore wind installed at the end of 2017, according to WindEurope figures. That is likely to grow to 3.5GW by the end of the current decade as developers race to take advantage of the final few years of support on offer.

At the end of 2021 Norway will leave the green certificate scheme it jointly operates with Sweden, leaving wind development to compete on price alone in a power system that is already well-served with renewable power from the country’s vast hydro-fleet.

Fosen is already in a strong position thanks to a PPA struck with Norsk Hydro that will see the aluminium group buy almost one-third of the wind complex’s expected output.

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Norway clears Fosen wind build despite UN reindeer plea