Discursive Struggles and Coalition Dynamics in Renewable Energy Transitions: Insights from Two Southern European Countries

The energy transition is reshaping the political balance within the European Union. Southern European countries are no longer seen as the "sick men of Europe" as they were in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. In fact, in current economic and political discourses, Southern European countries are increasingly presented as the new energy hub of Europe. Their energy potential can provide resources to prompt the transition to Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) to meet the EU's decarbonisation targets. However, these processes often trigger territorial resistance through Local Unwanted Land Use (LULU) movements that challenge the development of RETs infrastructure. Italy and Spain are two relevant Southern European countries actively engaged in the energy transition. In addition to some common features, such as geopolitical location and the availability of sparsely populated land, these two countries are also characterised by some key differences, such as the role of nuclear power and the articulation of their political systems. The proposed paper adopts a comparative perspective to examine the discursive frameworks and coalitions that emerge in conflicts over RETs in Italy and Spain. Using a discursive analytical framework inspired by Hajer's (1995) notion of political conflicts as 'argumentative struggles', the study scrutinizes how local and national actors frame these projects, their connections to broader discourses of energy transition, and their influence on policy-making. The main aim of the paper is to understand which actors spread the dominant argumentative discourses for and against renewable energy projects, how local conflicts reflect or diverge from national and international energy transition narratives, and what similarities and differences exist in the composition and strategies of discursive coalitions in Italy and Spain. The methodology integrates qualitative content analysis of interviews, policy documents and public communications from stakeholders, including local committees, energy companies and government actors. The findings highlight the interplay between local resistance and broader political imperatives, providing critical insights into the politicisation of energy transition efforts in the current political scenario of the European Union.