As we mentioned before, there are some things Energicenter Nord (supplies electricity, leader of the project Windmills at Hanstholm Harbour) has to research before Viborg county will take any action in the case of Windmills at Hanstholm Harbour. While we are waiting, we did our own research and therefore we can give you a temporary answer.

1) Energicenter Nord has been requested to research if there will be any demands from the aviation regarding powerful aircraft warning lights on the mills. Is this the case, then the project will be stopped.

We’ve researched this case: The aviation doesn’t have any problem with mills being set up in the area. No powerful aircraft warning lights are demanded.

2) Energicenter Nord has been requested to get a grip on Nordisk Folkecenter for Vedvarende Energi. The latest owner of the fourth current mill. As they pronounced in their registered objection, they, not in any way, do have the intention to break down their mill. In order to place the new mills the four current mills will have to be taken down.

We’ve researched this case: Nordisk Folkecenter for Vedvarende Energi owns the 2nd mill south. There are several grounds for at they are not willing to take it down. One of them is that it’s not in society’s economic interest to break a well running mill down. They do not want to pronounce any further in this case

3) Energicenter Nord has been requested to research if the project is alien to The Harbour Law. A public owned harbour, may only involve harbour relating business. No matter how you twist and turn it, it is more than doubtful, how far windmills are a harbour relating business.

We’ve researched this case: At this very moment it’s at the ministry of Transport and Energy, where there is being related to harbour law § 9 and respectively part 5 and 6:

Part 5. The harbour understands construction and drift of a harbour infrastructure, covering quays, harbour basins, bounding land, and can place cranes, warehouses and similar, to serve ships, loaders, ground owners etc.

Part 6. As far as the conditions in some occasions will allow it, the minister of Traffic is able to, after a request from the municipality, allow that the harbour, apart from mentioned in part 5, could mean harbour related operating business either self or in cooperation with a private business.

This means that windmills primary, are not a type of business for a publicly owned harbour. But this law is – as all others – a guideline and exceptions are found. In this case it might be the case that the ministry judges that the harbour has that much ground, that they can’t use of it for harbour related purposes only.

Is this the case, it makes sense that the harbour receives (a form of) dispensing and with it, opportunities for extending its business to not-harbour related activities. The latter might be renting ground for windmills.

The ministry has requested the harbour for further information regarding the case, but hasn’t received anything yet. And before that happens, can they not regard the case.

Finally the coastal authority has brought out, that there is a special procedure for EIA (environmental impact assessment) relating ‘construction at sea territory’. It contains an extra hearing-phase regarding a great number of authorities and organizations, before there can be started with an EIA.

We’ve researched this case: We have two topics:

2.1) The coastal authority should only hear public authorities (Administration of Navigation and Hydrography, Administration of Fishing, Administration of Environment etc.)

2.2) The coastal authority estimates their projects, where these should be finished planning before they come and estimate. This means that the ‘building-gentlemen’ should have completed their plans before they get there.

In the local newspaper Thisted Dagblad is written about the conversations where we referred to in our previous post. It is all about how to keep Hanstholm and surroundings inhabited, the following is worth mentioning.

It are fish, ferry and surfers, where the latter represents a new type of people, who in all ways are interesting, because they offer new resources and because they are internationally orientated.

• Originally the surfers were synonym for ‘conflict’, since many of them got their prejudices confirmed. Now we ought to see them as a gift and a group, which fits in the ‘experience economy’, which we would like to expand, said Robert Mogens and adds, that surfers use that part of the sea we’ve until today never have used before – waves.[…]
• A masterplan for windsurfing in Thy should be made, which describes how things should be organized and at the same time depends on jointly responsibility from surfers, said mayor Ejner Frøkjær, who was glad that the relation between surfers and the local inhabitants got further than calling each other names.
• We’re talking to each other again and have admitted we’ve a common interest in clearing the conditions, said the mayor, who at the same time had to hear that over and over again that is and will be Hanstholm Harbour and its activities that will be the #1 economic fundament for Hanstholm.
  The surfers are here, and a proposal was to establish ‘minimal facilities’ for them – toilet facilities.
• We need to bury the hatchet and create a dialog between us and the surfers, believes Kurt Westermann and recommends that in this case both parties need to stand together.

Outsiders doesn’t seem to have any problems either to see the positive side of surfers in Thy (northwest Denmark) – and last but not least the potentials in trying to organize and professionalize these activities in the area.

The organization Save Middles has just participated in a meeting with representatives of Sven Allan Jensen A/S, which is the firm that now leads an urban planning project in Hanstholm. The project is launched under the name of The atlantic Hanstholm.

This week a so called ‘open planning workshop’ has been arranged:

“The planning workshop will be open all days of the week. Tomorrow night, Wednesday we’ve invited organizations, working groups and individuals with exciting ideas to gather around the table, to raise the main question regarding new constructions, roads, but also controversial subjects like placement of new windmills, problems regarding surfers etc. Those who are interested are welcome to sit around the table, where there will also be possibilities to raise questions, says Robert Mogensen.�

It became a two and a half days of exchanging ideas back and forth. Tomorrow there’s going to be an even larger conversation regarding Hanstholms future, where organization unfortunately can’t come. In stead, divisional head Robert Mogens promised to bring our visions and ideas with him.

We’re looking forward to the results of the project. This week’s results will be published on Friday.

The chairman of Environment and Technique in Viborg county, quotes the following in the local newspaper Thisted Dagblad:

“[…] the resistance gives the occasion for extra thoughts and shows us other possibilities for placement of these windmills�, he says without mentioning where this could be. The surfers have pointed out a placement at the area’s south of Hanstholm harbour, but Bjørn West doesn’t comment whether this could be a possible location.

The background for his statement comes after, from among other the minister of business- and economics Bendt Bendtsen, criticises counties for to bending too often for protests from interested organizations and citizens, who are against raising gigantic windmills in neighbouring areas. Denmark is worldleading when it comes to windmills, but it’s getting harder to find locations to these new windmills, which are larger then before, and citizens in the country protest against getting gigantic mills as a neighbour.

Representers of the organization Save Middles and the local surfclub NASA will have their first meeting in Viborg County. The Danish Sailing union will also be represented. It is a meeting with council officers from Viborg County and Hanstholm municipality.

It’s about to become a little confusing when it comes to where we are in the process, which regards preserving surfing at Middles.

The first public phase has come to an end. Because of a lot of protests, among others organization Save Middles, Viborg County has decided to extend the case.

Viborg County should decide whether the project should be continued or not.

With the impressions from the first public phase, the County council can choose to continue the planning. When they do so, a proposal for regional planning should be worked out. This should be made public in a new public phase, which will take at least 8 weeks.

In such a case the regional planning comes with an EIA (environmental impact assessment). Such an assessment should be worked out and made public simultaneous with the proposal for regional planning. It usually takes 4 – 6 months to create an EIA.

After another public phase, the County council will decide whether they wish to finally approve the regional planning. Does the County council finally approve the regional planning, it will be executed immediately. The final approval should be published publicly.

In other words; There’s a long way to go again.

As we wrote earlier, Save Middles has been in contact with architect firm Sven Allan Jensen A/S from Aalborg.

This firms is chosen by Hanstholm and Thyborøn as a part of a development for an inhabit strategy for these two towns. Hanstholm should be promoted with “The good life at the Westcoast�.

In the national newspaper Jyllands-Posten pronounced project manager and architect Robert Mogens from Sven Allan Jensen A/S the following:

“Regarding all the cases we’re discussing, windsurfing just is a gift for Hanstholm, and it would be a major mistake if that area will be destroyed. This is a great opportunity to raise the ‘experience-economy’, which becomes more important, now there’s a falling fish- and agriculture, and there are people living out there because of the windsurfing possibilities�

There’s an article about Save Middles’ work in the magazine of Idrætsliv (sportslife). And on the cover is Danish pride Lars Petersen, sailing…Middles

Idrætsliv is the Danish Sports Association’s official magazine, which comes eleven times a year with 19.000 copies.

Currently Middles doesn’t seem to be threatened by plans which desire to establish an experimental station for gaining wave-energy at the Roshage-pier.

The local newspaper Thisted Dagblad has had some articles about plans to create an experimental station for gaining wave-energy at the Roshage-pier. The articles named two companies, Wave Dragon and Wave Star Energy.

Apparently Wave Dragon has plans with Hanstholm, but want to build the experimental station 3 km offshore, and doing that they will not threaten Middles.

Wave Star Energy has different plans. They want to build the experimental station close to shore. This is the reason that we’ve contacted this company.

They confirm that they’re planning to place a test-section of a wave-machine on top of the westside of the Roshage-pier.

The test-section contains a lattice structure being 6 m high, 5 m wide and 12 m long, on top will be constructed two 10 m long arms with 5 m floats

The lattice structure should be bolted on the pier and the two arms with the floats pointing out west. The floats work in the water along side the pier with waves up to 4 m. The arms and floats can be lifted during a storm. The test-section is meant to be a testing environment for the arms and floats, to measure the ballasting at the floats.

It seems like this construction doesn’t do any harm for the Middles area. But this organization will follow the developments in this project closely.