The far right's entry into power: Analyzing resistance to wind energy in the Swedish Parliament, 2008–2025

Since the far-right Sweden Democrats entered parliament in 2010, wind power in Sweden has become increasingly politicized and scrutinized. Prior to 2010, all parliamentary parties viewed wind power as part of the transition to a sustainable energy system. However, the 2022 elections brought a government to power that opposes wind power. This study, based on a comprehensive analysis of parliamentary discourse, interprets this shift as a move from a consensus on neoliberal energy governance, which supported wind power, to a conservative and retrotopian stance against it. It highlights how the Sweden Democrats’ nationalist identity politics, combined with the repositioning of central-liberal parties towards conservatism, have driven this shift. By contrasting the results of our study with previous research on the discourse of far-right resistance to wind power, the study examines the broader impact of far-right nationalism on renewable energy policy. Although previous research has documented far-right opposition to wind power, there is a significant gap in comprehensive, longitudinal studies that explore how this opposition unfolds within parliamentary politics. Our analysis provides an empirically grounded case of rising political resistance to wind power in Sweden and offers insights that are relevant for understanding the political dynamics of renewable energy transitions across liberal democracies.