The Contested Energy Future of Amman, Jordan: Between Promises of Alternative Energies and a Nuclear Venture

Éric Verdeil (1)

1 EVS - Environnement, Ville, Société

Metropolitan authorities and local business elites are often seen as major players in the energy transition in the city. Such energy transitions are mostly conceived of as low carbon technologies, which permit the retrofitting of urban infrastructure and the rebundling of metabolic circuits. This article contests these views by highlighting the major role of non-urban energy sector institutions and actors. By examining the connections between technology, space and energy politics , and by using a relational understanding of the urban, this article explores the case of Amman's energy transition. The growth of consumption coupled with new energy practices face a problematic supply because shifts in regional geopolitics prompted energy transition policies, among which are included a green growth program and the building of a nuclear power plant at the edge of the city. The article analyses the socio-political assemblages that shape those policies and unravel the competing interests at stake. It demonstrates the political and highly unruly nature of energy transitions.

Mots clés: urban governance; energy transition; Middle East; urban planning; nuclear

Domaines: Géographie; Architecture, aménagement de l'espace

Éric Verdeil. The Contested Energy Future of Amman, Jordan: Between Promises of Alternative Energies and a Nuclear Venture. Urban Studies, 2014, 51 (7), pp.1520-1536. ⟨10.1177/0042098013500085⟩. ⟨halshs-00857506⟩