New subjects in the politics of energy transition? Reactivating the northern German oil and gas infrastructure

• Published in: Environmental politics Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 69 - 88
• Main Author: Wodrig, Stefanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 02.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Discourse; discourse theory; Disputes; Energy; Energy transition; fracking; Germany; Hydraulic fracturing; Infrastructure; Natural gas; Petroleum; Politicization; Politics; Production; Subjectivity
• ISSN: 0964-4016; 1743-8934
• DOI: 10.1080/09644016.2017.1384469

The global circulation of the word 'fracking' seems to testify to a setback for energy transitions, a nexus that has not yet received much scholarly attention. In light of this, the controversy over fracking is understood as furthering infrastructural changes that are central to energy transitions. Infrastructure should not be understood as materiality per se but instead as sedimented but ultimately discursive elements that can be reactivated and rearticulated. Examining 'infrastructure' from the point of view of discourse theory places the focus on infrastructural change. Prior to 2011, the oil and gas infrastructure in northern Germany was largely invisible to the public. The subsequent reassembling of production with fracking facilitated the politicization not just of that term but also of the whole infrastructure. Instead of routinely reproducing the infrastructure, subjects that had formerly dominated the field were confronted with new and heterogeneous voices that challenged their agency.