The Power of Procedural Justice in the Planning of Energy Projects

Abstract

An imbalance in power relations between energy sector stakeholders and society fuels the uneven distribution of energy services, evident in the record lower electricity access rates attributed to geographically disadvantaged rural communities globally. The article alludes to the tenet of procedural energy justice, which is concerned with including all social constituencies at all energy decision-making levels and their meaningful engagements to achieve universal energy access. The need for integrating a social component into the present techno-economic approach to electrification planning and the meaningful participation of all stakeholders is emphasised. Furthermore, the article explores the relevance of due process, a social contract for transitioning to renewable energy power, and its potential to bridge the electricity access gap between urban dwellers and rural communities. Also, the paper reinforces calls to deepen the democracy of energy decision-making by establishing a social contract with end-users of energy and frontline communities, considering the unique features of energy technologies and their associated nuances.

1 Introduction

Considerable progress has been made toward making energy universally accessible, although not at the rate of advancement¹ as required to achieve the global sustainable energy targets. Significant geographical disparities exist in terms of access to reliable energy services by country, by region and along the rural–urban divide. By the end of 2019, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for three-quarters of the global electricity deficit and 96% of people living in urban areas had access to electricity compared to 85% of rural dwellers.²

The uneven distribution of energy services is fuelled by imbalance in power relations between stakeholders of the energy sector and society. The phenomenon is evident in the present techno-economic approach to electrification planning where rural voices are stifled.³ Rural electrification is directed by a paradigm that primarily focuses on supply of electricity rather than social advancement,⁴ limiting opportunities to deal with social inequalities embedded in the socio-political nature of energy.

Given the inadequacy of current planned policies⁵ to address the challenges of energy equity, energy security and the transition to low-carbon economy, it is imperative to deploy energy justice as a decision-support tool⁶ in accelerating the attainment of universal access to energy. Energy justice or energy equity is a field of research that is concerned with issues of justice and equity in energy systems and plays a role of identifying where, when, and how injustices occur in energy systems and how these injustices might be avoided.⁷ The foundation of the energy justice framework is grounded on three justice theories: distributive, procedural and recognition justice.⁸ Procedural justice is founded on fairness of process⁹ and is concerned about transparency and accountability in the allocation of resources.

2 The Role of Procedural Justice in the Planning of Energy Infrastructure

The relevance of procedural justice to planning of energy infrastructure, and its potential in minimising the negative impacts emanating from the development and utilisation of energy resources, is explored in this paper. Procedural justice highlights the dominance of “social, industrial, and political elites” over the extraction, generation and the distribution of energy resources with a purpose to make energy decision-making more representative and inclusive.¹⁰ Procedural energy justice seeks to amplify the voices of the most vulnerable segments of society and redistribute decision-making power equally to all stakeholders.¹¹ Public participation in the energy sector is significant in ensuring the legitimacy and quality of energy decision outcomes.¹² It is believed that active community involvement in decision-making promotes better outcomes, social innovation and greater public acceptance of energy projects.¹³

3 Full Disclosure of Information Is Prerequisite for Meaningful Participation

The full disclosure of information and legalisation of due process are key issues that require urgent attention in shaping procedural justice in the energy sector. Energy decision-making requires full disclosure of information on energy and the environment, objectivity in the expression of ideas and active participation of all stakeholders in a non-discriminatory manner,¹⁴ at all levels in order to be fair and just. It is essential to share data and information in formats that can easily be appreciated by the target audience. A language needs assessment of stakeholders prior to engagement is necessary for preparing content that facilitates the understanding of issues and meaningful participation. Also to be considered in facilitating the meaningful participation of people in planning energy infrastructure is the definition and institutionalisation of “due process” for energy projects.

3.1 What Does Due Process Entail?

The relevance of due process to every level of energy decision-making at local, provincial, national, and global levels has been extremely emphasised in energy justice literature. The challenge, however, is the ability to determine what due process in energy decision-making entails as energy injustice can be influenced by the demographics of a population, the type of technology involved, the source of energy, the mode of delivery of energy culture and traditions and many other factors. There is a need to further deepen the democracy¹⁵ of energy decision-making by establishing a social contract¹⁶ in the energy sector with the unique features of energy technologies and affected communities in mind.

4 Conclusion

The imperative of energy justice framework to fairly engage stakeholders in energy decision-making is useful in unmasking the injustices of current energy systems to ensure desirable outcomes in the future. The writer is of the view that the choice of technology in energy systems should be led by independent citizen advisory groups with representation from social constituencies rather than political office holders in view of the long-term implications of energy systems on society and the environment.