Page 12 - Apmor 2018

energy justice

Another Case of Energy

Colonialism By Hamza Hamouchene

familiar ‘colonial’ scheme is being rolled Like Desertec and the Ouarzazate solar plant understand such mega-projects. These projects
out: the unrestricted flow of cheap in Morocco, this new project is a renewable are mainly designed (usually by Europeans
A natural resources from the Global South energy grab or what has been termed ‘Green themselves) to satisfy Europe’s need for
to the rich North, maintaining a profoundly Grabbing’: the appropriation of land and diversifying energy sources away from Russia
unjust international division of labour. While resources for purportedly environmental as well as contributing to its carbon reduction
fortress Europe builds walls and fences to ends. It involves massive land grabs (10,000 targets. And what better region to achieve
prevent human beings from reaching its shores hectares) as well as extensive water usage to these aims than North Africa and West Asia
for sanctuary, it accepts no barriers to resource clean and cool the panels in arid and semi-arid (NAWA): an area well endowed with natural
grabs. regions to export energy to the UK and Europe. resources, from fossil fuels to sun and wind?
When we hear news about renewable energy The Sahara is usually described as a vast
projects, one must be forgiven for thinking Given that Tunisia depends on its empty land, sparsely populated and in need
that it’s all beautiful and shiny. But scratching a of ‘development’. This pretext provides a
little bit beneath the surface of this language of neighbour Algeria for its energy golden opportunity for Europe to continue
“cleanliness,” “shininess” and “carbon emission needs and faces increasingly its extravagant consumerism and profligate
cuts” reveals another picture, a picture of big frequent power cuts, it would be energy consumption at the expense of
capital robbing land and resource rights from outrageous and unjust to prioritise the global south. Language recasting
the Global South in order to safeguard energy exports over the urgent needs of southern regions and countries as objects of
development is reminiscent of the “civilizing
security of the Global North. local people. mission” used to justify mass dispossession
TuNur solar project in Tunisia is a joint venture throughout the colonial period, as well as
between Nur Energy, a British-based solar policies designed to control the populations
developer, and a group of Maltese and Tunisian Forced liberalisation and scramble for and their environments.
investors in the oil and gas sector. In July, the resources It seems that a familiar ‘colonial’ scheme is being
company filed a request for authorisation rolled out in front of our eyes: the unrestricted
from the Tunisian Ministry of Energy, Mines It is in a regional context of forced trade flow of cheap natural resources from the
and Renewable Energy for an explicitly export- liberalisation as well as a scramble for Global South to the rich industrialized North,
oriented solar project of a capacity of 4.5GW. influence and energy resources that we should maintaining a profoundly unjust international

12 | AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol 21, Issue 20, 2017