Green Hydrogen Production in Tunisia: The Interplay of Old and New Lines of Conflict

With the Green Deal and the energy crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, the EU has accelerated the transition towards importing renewable energy, including green hydrogen, from North Africa. EU decision-makers portray the energy transition as a win-win situation, while civil society actors and scholars criticize these developments as “green extractivism” and “green colonialism”. Using Tunisia as an example, the author shows that green hydrogen exports are closely linked to ongoing domestic political struggles over the political economy and must be seen in the context of a post-colonial energy history. She identifies the three main lines of conflict and discusses opportunities and limitations for conflict prevention that EU countries have a responsibility to address in their energy policies.