In this workshop, the prospects for the urgently needed energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies will be approached from the perspective of conflict and cooperation. In Eastern European countries is no agreement on which technologies should be prioritised in energy policy, so the arena is highly contested. Renewable energy options like hydropower come with trade-offs in terms of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as life on land and life under water, which can lead to conflict within countries and potentially even between countries. Other energy options also come with advantages and trade-offs. Are decentralised options more resilient than centralised ones? What role do international cooperation and shared energy markets play? What are the geopolitical risks associated with energy transitions? The workshop will address these questions with reference to case studies. It is organised by the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) as part of the research network Conflict and Cooperation in Eastern Europe.

12:30 pm: Introduction by Sabine von Löwis (ZOiS)

12:45 pm: Panel 1 Case studies chaired by Martin Welp (HNEE)

• Valentin Krüsmann (ZOiS): China and Kazakhstan’s Energy Transition
• Lela Rekhviashvili (Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde Leipzig): Conflicts over hydropower in Georgia

01:45 pm: Break

02:00 pm: Panel 2 Geopolitics chaired by Benjamin Beuerle (Centre Marc Bloch)

• Leonie Beaucamp (Germanwatch Berlin): Geopolitical implications in the context of the emerging green hydrogen sector
• Andrew Barry (University College London): Material geopolitics in the South Caucasus and Black Sea region.

Registration

• Beril Ocaklı (ZOiS)
• Martin Welp (HNEE)
• Sabine von Löwis (ZOiS)
• Kerstin Bischl (ZOiS)

This workshop is part of the research network KonKoop funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Kerstin Bischl
Academic Coordinator 'KonKoop'
kerstin.bischl(at)zois-berlin(dot)de