Landowners and residents demand immediate halt to Hvammsvirkjun construction.
Landowners and residents of properties along the banks of the Þjórsá River are demanding that construction on the Hvammsvirkjun Hydropower Plant be stopped immediately. A formal letter was sent to the Environment and Natural Resources Complaints Board on their behalf on Monday.
The license for the Hvammsvirkjun project was ruled unlawful by the District Court in February. In response, Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate, Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson, introduced a bill to amend the Electricity Act and the Water Framework Act, stating it was necessary to address legal uncertainty.
Landsvirkjun (the National Power Company of Iceland) was granted permission to appeal the ruling directly to the Supreme Court, which upheld the lower court’s decision earlier this month. Meanwhile, the new legislative amendments were passed. On July 11, Landsvirkjun submitted a new application for a hydropower license.
The same group of landowners and residents behind the original legal complaint are now calling on the Complaints Board to stop all ongoing construction activities related to the project.
Source: RÚV.is
