Security and Securitization in Energy Politics

Abstract

As the European Union (EU) navigates the transition to sustainable energy in an increasingly fraught geopolitical landscape, concerns about security are never far from the surface. The contributions to this panel explore the mechanisms by which dependencies and vulnerabilities in energy transitions emerge, and the political responses to them. In terms of ongoing dependencies, the example of natural gas contracts shows how legal relations establish and reinforce the geopolitical power of fossil fuel providers. While the transformation to renewable energy has been seen as a way to reduce such fossil dependencies, there are also new security risks associated with renewable energy systems including the role of supply chains, infrastructure, and energy trade. Responses to security concerns are complex, socially embedded processes, as the case of European securitization of energy in response to Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine demonstrates. Yet actors may also overlook certain aspects of security, as for example governments, network operators, national and international organizations struggle to address resiliency and security of supply in the face of military and covert actions. In addition, crises do not always trigger socially desirable changes, as for example the severe shock of the energy crisis did not lead to improved approaches towards energy poverty in some cases. Together, the papers highlight the political processes that shape energy security and responses to it. By tracing both the production of vulnerability and the uneven consequences of securitization, the panel sheds light on the evolving nature of energy security in an era of geopolitical tensions and energy transition.

Title	Details
The Institutionalization of Geopolitical Influence in LNG Contracts	View Paper Details
The Politics of “Nothing Happening”: Securitisation, Temporality, and Non-Change in the Energy Crisis	View Paper Details
Extraordinary Measures: REPowerEU and the Securitization of EU Energy Policy in 2022	View Paper Details
Reframing Energy Security in the Clean Energy Transition: An Analysis of Cross-Border Risks and Solutions	View Paper Details
Redefining European Energy Security: Assessing Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches to Energy Security of Supply	View Paper Details