-This is a serious development, and we are doing everything we can to find a solution. We are working closely with the country’s foremost experts from the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) to assess possible measures to prevent future collisions, said Knut Fjerdingstad, a spokesperson for Statkraft. 

It had been uncertain how the birds would tackle the wind turbines, so the sea eagles at Smøla have been the subject of research since the wind farm was built. The wind power facility is the only place where systematic data is being collected about the relationship between sea eagles and wind turbines.

Three of the dead eagles were carrying GPS transmitters and were part of the Sea Eagle Project led by Arne Follestad of NINA. The Sea Eagle Project at Smøla was set up at the request of the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), in an effort to learn more about the relationship between sea eagles and wind power.  A group made up of Statkraft, Norsk Hydro, the Norwegian Electricity Industry Association (EBL), the Ministry of the Environment and the Directorate for Nature Management is funding the research. The project has a budget of NOK 1 million in 2006, and the aim is to increase this amount still further in 2007.

No dead eagles were found in the Smøla Wind Farm from Phase 1 was opened in 2002 until August 2005.
The sea eagle is the country’s largest bird of prey. It lives along the coast, nesting from Sogn og Fjordane to northern Norway. The sea eagle population has risen steadily since 1970, and was estimated at around 1,800 pairs in 2000. This represents around 45 per cent of Europe’s entire sea eagle population. 

Wind power is one of the most environment-friendly methods of large-scale electricity generation that exists today. The problem of sea eagles colliding with the wind turbines is peculiar to Smøla, which has a large eagle population in the vicinity.

• Read more about Smøla vindpark