Regional Mountain Conference

In the Alps, water has historically been a pivotal energy source. Today, hydropower occupies a central role in the anticipated energy transition as a renewable energy source. This also applies to the Austrian province of Tyrol. Having set the objective of achieving independence from fossil fuels by 2050, the regional government aims to meet its entire energy needs from local, renewable resources. To achieve this objective and address rising energy demand, the state energy supplier ‘TIWAG – Tiroler Wasserkraft Aktiengesellschaft’ plans to convert the Kaunertal power plant into a pumped-storage facility. This multi-phase project includes constructing an additional storage reservoir in a high-alpine valley and diverting water from the neighboring Ötztal valley.

However, the considerable tensions emerging around the planned expansion illustrate the socially contested nature of energy transitions. As different actors attribute distinct meanings to water, diverging visions of its future use and, concomitantly, of Alpine territories emerge. While some prioritize the transformation towards renewable energy landscapes, this socio-technical future imaginary on water use is challenged by counter-imaginaries by others who seek to preserve mountain territories as ecological and cultural spaces. These competing visions reflect broader political-ecological struggles, in which heterogeneous futures are constantly negotiated and reshaped, reorganizing hydro-social relations, materialities, and territorialities.

Against the background of these conflicting meanings attributed to water, we ask: How do differing perceptions of water’s value and existing power relations co-shape hydro-social future imaginaries and impact regional development processes?

Drawing on a socio-ecological conflict analysis of the ‘Kaunertal hydropower plant’ case study, we introduce the concept of ‘water culture’ into the analysis of regional development processes in mountain regions. We argue that this concept offers strong analytical leverage by providing a lens to transcend the entrenched epistemic and discursive separation between society and environment.

In this way, we want to shed light on how divergent social perceptions and value attributions of water in the Alps intersect with power relations, giving rise to competing or complementary hydro-social imaginaries. Accordingly, we aim to enhance understanding of how the narratives emerging from these imaginaries influence regional development trajectories and governance practices amid the ongoing energy transition.