Sverige har sedan år 2009 det nationella målet att producera 30 TWh vindkraftsenergi, varav 20 TWh ska komma från landbaserad vindkraft. Detta är ett viktigt delmål för att bli ett mindre fossilberoende samhälle och för att minska koldioxidutsläpp och luftföroreningar. För att nå det nationella målet om 30 TWh utgör vindkraft en viktig förnybar energikälla. Åre kommun och Bergs kommun i Jämtlands län har båda upprättat ett vindkraftstillägg till sina översiktsplaner där de har pekat ut områden möjliga för storskalig vindkraftsetablering, detta för att underlätta för exploatörer att veta på vilka platser kommunen stödjer en utredning för vindkraftsetablering. En vindkraftspark kan sedan augusti år 2009 endast få tillstånd om kommunfullmäktige i kommunen där parken planeras att etableras i tillstyrker parken. Kommunen kan alltså med ett veto stoppa ett vindkraftsprojekt, utan motivering. Således har kommunpolitiker stor inverkan på ett vindkraftsprojekts utfall. För att veta vad som har lett till tre olika vindkraftsparkers utfall har kommunens vindkraftstillägg till översiktsplanen, kommunikationen mellan exploatören och allmänheten, medias inverkan samt den kommunala vetorätten undersökts. Två av de tre studerade vindparksplanerna har fått avslag från kommunfullmäktige. Den tredje fick tillstånd 2011. Representanter från kommunernas kommunfullmäktige har intervjuats, samt representanter från varje vindbolag. Resultaten från denna studie visar att kommunens vindkraftstillägg spelar mindre roll i både val av etableringsplats och i kommunfullmäktiges val att använda det kommunala vetot. Kommunikationen mellan exploatören och allmänheten är viktig för att få lokalt stöd och genom detta få kommunal tillstyrkan. Det är svårt att dra en slutsats om hur stor inverkan media haft på vindkraftsetableringarna. Den kommunala vetorätten har haft stor inverkan på vindkraftsetableringarna och har använts för att få ut någon slags vinst av etableringarna, antingen politisk eller ekonomisk. Framtida forskning behövs kring allmänhetens och närboendes syn på vindkraftsetableringar. / Since 2009, Sweden has the national objective to produce 30 TWh wind energy, where 20 TWh should originate from land based wind turbines. This is an important sub target to become fossil fuel independent community and to reduce the carbon dioxide emmissions and air pollution. To reach the national objective of 30 TWh, wind power is an important renewable energy alternative. The municipalities of Åre and Berg in Jämtland county, Sweden, have both established a wind power supplement to their municipality layout plan, where they point out locations suitable for large scale windfarm establishments, to facilitate for the exploiter where the municipality support wind power establishments. Since august 2009, the representative assembly of the municipality must grant the establishment permission for the wind park. Hence, the municipality can stop an establishment with a veto without motivation. Thus, the representative assembly of the municipality has a large impact on the outcome of a windfarm establishment.  To understand the outcome of three wind farm establishments, the municipality layout plan, the communication between the exploiter and the general public, the impact of media and the municipality veto were studied. Two of three studied wind farm projects were dismissed by the representative municipality assembly. The third project was granted in 2011. Representatives from the assembly of municipality and from the wind farm exploiter firms were intervjued. The results from this study shows that the municipality layout plan has little impact both on the exploiters choise of location for the wind farm and on the assemblies choise to use the veto. The communication between the exploiter and the general public is important for local support and through this, a grant from the assembly. It is difficult to draw any conclution from the impact of the media from the limited data in this study. The municipality veto has a large impact on the outcome of the windfarms establishments and has been used to profit from the establishments, either political or economical. Future studies should be directed towards a survey amongst the general and local public.

This thesis examines the Swedish permit process regarding offshore wind power.Even though Sweden has quite beneficial conditions for the use of offshore wind power, few turbines and facilities are in use or being built. The aim of this thesis is to give a systematic view of the permit process and in that way examine and point to any dysfunctionalities within the application process, and if the processmight impede business practitioners, who wishes to establish offshore wind power parks of doing so.To achieve the set goal of fossil free electricity, the usage and expansion of wind power might be necessary as well as combating climate change. Within the thesis the prerequisites for offshore wind power are described and analyzed, in order to point to why the number of offshore wind turbines might be so low, in connection to Swedish legislation. The application process for wind power permits is investigated in regard to the basic provisions of the Environmental Code, as well as sector-specific legislation. In doing so the thesis discusses the fragmentary structure which characterizes the application process. The complexity of the application process leads to an indefensible time-consuming process for the granting of a permit, a process that will likely need to change for Sweden to be able to achieve the goals of fossil free electricity as well as comply with EU regulatory requirements. The focus of the thesis consists of the municipal endorsement as well as the endorsement of the Swedish Armed Forces, in order to give the thesis depth these instruments are further examined and discussed in a de lege ferenda-manner with arguments from both Swedish and Danish legislation. The thesis concludes with a discussion on whether the permit and application process promote further growth of the Swedish offshore wind power industry, and in what way the process might be required to change going forward to comply with set climate goals as well as international regulatory changes.