Conference Contested Transitions: Law for Energy Justice

On 29–30 June 2026, the international conference 'Contested Transitions: Law for Energy Justice' will take place in Groningen. The conference brings together scholars working on energy transition and justice from a legal perspective.

The European Union (EU) and its Member States face unprecedented challenges in balancing competing imperatives in the energy sector: ensuring security of supply has gained renewed urgency amidst geopolitical tensions and war; reducing energy and grid costs to ensure affordability for household customers and competitiveness for industries; and realizing emission reductions amidst an accelerating climate crisis. These imperatives do not naturally align; on the contrary, trade-offs and conflicts are inevitable as legal frameworks and measures attempt to reconcile divergent objectives.

Energy justice concerns emerge at various scales and dimensions: who bears the costs and risks of transformation? Whose voices shape transition pathways? How are vulnerabilities—whether geographic, economic, or social—recognized and addressed? This conference examines energy justice through a legal lens, exploring how law mediates inherent conflicts of (re-)distribution, and processes.

Rather than presuming or yielding for particular justice outcomes, we seek to discuss how legal frameworks construct, constrain, and contest competing justice claims within energy system transformation.

Conference themes

• Energy Justice in the Market Domain
• Energy Justice within Law & Policy
• Energy Justice in Governance & Decision-Making Procedures
• Energy Justice and Technology & Innovation

For questions, please contact: Dr. Lea Diestelmeier l.diestelmeier rug.nl or Dr. Jose Grabiel Luis Cordova j.g.luis.cordova rug.nl.