New energy sources emerge and others are phased out. At the same time global energy demand remains. The siting of the physical structures that generate and distribute energy has an impact in the physical environment as well as in the social landscape before, during and after completion of such projects. It is relevant to investigate how the siting of new energy infrastructures is received. The overall aim of this PhD thesis in sociology is to contribute to an increased understanding of local handling of global energy dilemmas.
In the thesis, controversial energy infrastructural siting is analysed. More specifically, how two such cases are understood and interpreted by different actors. The analysis is carried out through a theoretical framework based on frame analysis and social practice-theory. The study offers a sociologically based understanding of place and shows the importance of this understanding for attitudes towards the siting of energy infrastructures.
The study includes two empirical cases from north-eastern Gotland, Sweden: The logistical work around the construction of a large-scale natural gas pipeline, and a planned, but never realized, siting of a wind power facility. The study was carried out through interviews, observations and text analysis.
How do different actors combine and weigh different aspects against each other in their constructed frame? The results show that aspects beyond the local area are included in the frames and that they include relationships between different actors as well as change over time. The understanding is presented through an analysis of four aspects: place-related, transcending place, position and process. Together they capture the multi-dimensionality and complexity that characterize the siting of controversial facilities. The most successful framing strategy was “decoupling”, highlighting several different aspects, but keeping them separate.
One of the strengths of the study is the inclusion of both strategic framings and framings made by those who are not an active part of the formal process. This offers a complex picture going beyond the policy level and shows that there is no single understanding within the “local community”. The thesis thus contributes to an extended understanding of how controversial facility siting is framed.