Network Power in Electricity Systems: security challenges of cooperation
Type
applied research project
Start Date
February 1, 2021
End Date
January 31, 2022
Acronym
NePElS
Status
completed
Keywords
electricity
networks
structural power
European Union
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Brexit
energy transition
Description
Globalization has caused a surge in transnational economic networks, that can also be observed in the area of electricity. Driven by economic interests and the need to transition to a renewable energy system, many countries intensify cooperation and link their electricity grids through cross-border connections. Yet the physical integration of electricity networks can have repercussions for interstate relations. This is because some actors use asymmetries within the network structure to coerce others.
The project Network Power in Electricity Systems (NePElS) will study the domestic security challenges that can arise from the integration of electricity networks in Europe. We intend to show how the physical integration of grid infrastructure between the EU and third countries (notably Switzerland and the UK post-Brexit) has undermined the latter’s quest for regulatory autonomy. This is because key functions of joint-network governance have become centralized under EU control. Opposition by third countries through regulatory non-cooperation entails severe disadvantages for their energy security and the timely achievement of the energy transition. In this project, we plan to investigate these patterns of influence and seek to generate a more systematic understanding how structural asymmetries in networks enable the exercise of power through coercion.
NePElS will run over a period of 12 months (from January to December 2021) and will result in three academic publications and two policy briefs or newspaper articles. While the project is headed by James W. Davis, the research will be carried out by Philipp Thaler. It draws upon scholarship on global energy and climate governance, and European Studies, as well as on qualitative and quantitative data to answer two research questions: “How does the European Union make use of electricity network infrastructure (structural power) to exert power vis-à-vis third countries?” and “What trade-offs do states face in the pursuit of a secure and carbon-neutral energy supply?” In terms of methods, we will use qualitative text analysis and social network analysis (SNA) to highlight and visualize structural asymmetries in the European electricity network and the capability of some actors to exploit these to leverage ‘network power’. The research for this project can draw upon a considerable amount of preliminary work and experience by the energy governance team at IPW-HSG, including a large qualitative dataset on EU-third country energy relations, various academic and media publications on related topics, and a large expert network of policy-makers and practitioners.
We expect the research results of NePElS to have significant academic and societal implications. They advance the scholarship on European Studies and energy governance, whilst linking the findings about security challenges arising from networks to key debates within International Relations and International Political Economy. They also contribute to discussions on EU relations with Switzerland and other third countries in the context of the European energy transition and beyond. Finally, the project also contributes to the public appearance of the University of St.Gallen as an institution that promotes impactful and socially relevant research.
The project Network Power in Electricity Systems (NePElS) will study the domestic security challenges that can arise from the integration of electricity networks in Europe. We intend to show how the physical integration of grid infrastructure between the EU and third countries (notably Switzerland and the UK post-Brexit) has undermined the latter’s quest for regulatory autonomy. This is because key functions of joint-network governance have become centralized under EU control. Opposition by third countries through regulatory non-cooperation entails severe disadvantages for their energy security and the timely achievement of the energy transition. In this project, we plan to investigate these patterns of influence and seek to generate a more systematic understanding how structural asymmetries in networks enable the exercise of power through coercion.
NePElS will run over a period of 12 months (from January to December 2021) and will result in three academic publications and two policy briefs or newspaper articles. While the project is headed by James W. Davis, the research will be carried out by Philipp Thaler. It draws upon scholarship on global energy and climate governance, and European Studies, as well as on qualitative and quantitative data to answer two research questions: “How does the European Union make use of electricity network infrastructure (structural power) to exert power vis-à-vis third countries?” and “What trade-offs do states face in the pursuit of a secure and carbon-neutral energy supply?” In terms of methods, we will use qualitative text analysis and social network analysis (SNA) to highlight and visualize structural asymmetries in the European electricity network and the capability of some actors to exploit these to leverage ‘network power’. The research for this project can draw upon a considerable amount of preliminary work and experience by the energy governance team at IPW-HSG, including a large qualitative dataset on EU-third country energy relations, various academic and media publications on related topics, and a large expert network of policy-makers and practitioners.
We expect the research results of NePElS to have significant academic and societal implications. They advance the scholarship on European Studies and energy governance, whilst linking the findings about security challenges arising from networks to key debates within International Relations and International Political Economy. They also contribute to discussions on EU relations with Switzerland and other third countries in the context of the European energy transition and beyond. Finally, the project also contributes to the public appearance of the University of St.Gallen as an institution that promotes impactful and socially relevant research.
Leader contributor(s)
Funder
Division(s)
Eprints ID
248111
Funding code
2160280