The Failure of the Largest Project to Dismantle Hydroelectric Dams in Europe? (Sélune River, France, 2009-2017)
The removal of two hydropower dams announced by the French government in November 2009 would have been an unprecedented operation at European scale due to their dimensions (36 and 16 m high). But this project has been strongly criticized at local level by elected officials and users. The Actor Net...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Water Alternatives Association
2017-10-01
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| Series: | Water Alternatives |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol10/v10issue3/376-a10-3-2/file |
| _version_ | 1818484200235335680 |
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| author | Marie-Anne Germaine Laurent Lespez |
| author_facet | Marie-Anne Germaine Laurent Lespez |
| author_sort | Marie-Anne Germaine |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The removal of two hydropower dams announced by the French government in November 2009
would have been an unprecedented operation at European scale due to their dimensions (36 and 16 m high). But
this project has been strongly criticized at local level by elected officials and users. The Actor Network Theory is
used to reconstitute the successive stages of the consultation process, from the first discussions about the future
of the dams (2005) to the downgrading of the project (2016), finally leading to a simple draining of the lake and
inspection of the dam. The ANT approach and the methodology based on stakeholder interviews and participant
observation are fruitful to identify the actors – humans and non-humans like salmon or lakes – and to analyse
their position in sociotechnical networks pro or against dam removal. This method aims to reconstruct the whole
process of setting up the campaign groups and their trajectory and to understand the shaping of representations
and values. It shows the opposite visions developed by the opponents and defenders of the dam concerning
salmon and running/standing water. The way the dialogue process was conducted also plays a crucial role.
Interrupted and characterized by many uncertainties, it failed in allowing a translation between expertise and
local knowledge. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T15:51:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f35c853c3c504904bc0f8695f0511deb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1965-0175 1965-0175 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T15:51:58Z |
| publishDate | 2017-10-01 |
| publisher | Water Alternatives Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Alternatives |
| spelling | doaj.art-f35c853c3c504904bc0f8695f0511deb2022-12-22T01:42:47ZengWater Alternatives AssociationWater Alternatives1965-01751965-01752017-10-01103655676The Failure of the Largest Project to Dismantle Hydroelectric Dams in Europe? (Sélune River, France, 2009-2017)Marie-Anne Germaine0Laurent Lespez1Paris Nanterre University, Paris Est Créteil UniversityThe removal of two hydropower dams announced by the French government in November 2009 would have been an unprecedented operation at European scale due to their dimensions (36 and 16 m high). But this project has been strongly criticized at local level by elected officials and users. The Actor Network Theory is used to reconstitute the successive stages of the consultation process, from the first discussions about the future of the dams (2005) to the downgrading of the project (2016), finally leading to a simple draining of the lake and inspection of the dam. The ANT approach and the methodology based on stakeholder interviews and participant observation are fruitful to identify the actors – humans and non-humans like salmon or lakes – and to analyse their position in sociotechnical networks pro or against dam removal. This method aims to reconstruct the whole process of setting up the campaign groups and their trajectory and to understand the shaping of representations and values. It shows the opposite visions developed by the opponents and defenders of the dam concerning salmon and running/standing water. The way the dialogue process was conducted also plays a crucial role. Interrupted and characterized by many uncertainties, it failed in allowing a translation between expertise and local knowledge.http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol10/v10issue3/376-a10-3-2/fileDam removalActor Network Theory (ANT)micro-politicsgovernanceFrance |
| spellingShingle | Marie-Anne Germaine Laurent Lespez The Failure of the Largest Project to Dismantle Hydroelectric Dams in Europe? (Sélune River, France, 2009-2017) Water Alternatives Dam removal Actor Network Theory (ANT) micro-politics governance France |
| title | The Failure of the Largest Project to Dismantle Hydroelectric Dams in Europe? (Sélune River, France, 2009-2017) |
| title_full | The Failure of the Largest Project to Dismantle Hydroelectric Dams in Europe? (Sélune River, France, 2009-2017) |
| title_fullStr | The Failure of the Largest Project to Dismantle Hydroelectric Dams in Europe? (Sélune River, France, 2009-2017) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Failure of the Largest Project to Dismantle Hydroelectric Dams in Europe? (Sélune River, France, 2009-2017) |
| title_short | The Failure of the Largest Project to Dismantle Hydroelectric Dams in Europe? (Sélune River, France, 2009-2017) |
| title_sort | failure of the largest project to dismantle hydroelectric dams in europe selune river france 2009 2017 |
| topic | Dam removal Actor Network Theory (ANT) micro-politics governance France |
| url | http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol10/v10issue3/376-a10-3-2/file |
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