Evaluation of the 'Citizens dialogue on the electricity grid' initiative
Since January 2015, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) has been financially supporting the 'Citizens dialogue on the electricity grid' initiative. The aim of the initiative is to involve the general public in the planning of grid expansion projects at an early stage, ideally before the start of formal public consultation. It also aims to inform the public about key planning decisions. The National Institute for Public Administration Germany has been commissioned by the BMWi to carry out an overall evaluation of the initiative and to assess the effectiveness of the individual measures implemented.
(Some publications are in German.)
Selected publications on the subject
Effects of spatial proximity to proposed electric power lines on residents’ expectations, attitudes, and protest behavior: A replication study
Governments and energy operators are frequently confronted with opposition to the construction of new highvoltage transmission lines. In this context, a recent experiment by Mueller et al. (2017) tested the so-called proximity hypothesis and found that spatial proximity to proposed transmission line corridor route alternatives significantly affected residents' likelihood of having negative risk expectations, showing low levels of support, and engaging in protest against the planned facility.
Underground cables vs. overhead lines: Quasi-experimental evidence for the effects on public risk expectations, attitudes, and protest behavior
Governments and energy operators are often confronted with local residents’ protest against the construction of new high-voltage overhead transmission lines, negative risk expectations, and a lack of public support.