Metropolitan and rural areas fighting for the control of electricity networks in France. A local geopolitics approach to energy transition

Abstract

This article discusses political struggles between metropolitan and rural areas in France over the past 10 or so years, with regard to the control of public electricity distribution networks. In the context of energy transition, this infrastructure involves major stakes for local governments – stakes which are both financial (around 37 billion euros in assets, combined with several hundred million euros in royalties and various taxes) and related to public policy (planning, development of renewable energy sources and electro-mobility, smart cities, etc.). Its control is therefore a cause for many rivalries, as local authorities become more important players in the regulation of the energy sector. This paper presents these local geopolitical battles and shows how the action of metropolises is currently being obstructed by a very powerful rural lobby at local and national levels.