Between public participation and energy transition The case of wind farms

This thesis researches the role of the public in governmental wind farm decision-making procedures in the Netherlands. Wind farms are an essential part of the Dutch energy transition towards to a CO2 neutral society. For a successful realisation of wind farms it is important that the Dutch society supports this realisation. Unfortunately, many wind farm plans so far have been met with substantial societal resistance. For a long time this phenomenon was explained by the self-interest based Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) theory. However, recent studies suggest a strong link to the decision-making processes leading to the realisation of wind farms. Therefore, this thesis studies the relation between government and the public during the governmental decision-making process of a wind farm. This concerns an interdisciplinary study into the concept of public participation on the basis of fundamental legal and political science theories. Both disciplines have studied the concept of public participation in detail and both lead to different analysis and conclusions. This theoretical framework results in an evaluative norm, namely the deliberative ideal, in which processes focus on the common good and dialogue rather than individual interests. This thesis secondly analyses how the concept of public participation is implemented in the wind farm relevant legal frameworks: Dutch administrative, environmental and spatial planning law. On the basis of this analysis and a case study we arrive at the conclusion that the legal implementation does not meet the deliberative ideal and make some suggestions to improve these decision-making procedures.