Temporalities and Imaginaries of Energy Transition.

The Case of Geothermal Energy in Argentina

Abstract

This article analyses the case of geothermal energy in Argentina, framing it within the context of the climate crisis. The study is situated at the intersection of anthropological perspectives on crisis, uncertainty, and the future, and the social studies of science and technology, with the aim of examining the temporalities through which this energy source is imagined. The case is particularly significant because, although there are no active geothermal plants in the country and the only previous attempt failed, geothermal energy continues to be promoted and explored as a potential resource for the future, despite its high level of uncertainty. Drawing on the analysis of journalistic articles, reports, and documents from the Geological Mining Service, I seek to reconstruct the ways in which geothermal energy is imagined and to examine how it is positioned in relation to the past, the present, and the future. I suggest that considering how to approach the future in relation to energy transition and climate change also involves debating our ideas of time and visions for what lies ahead. Conceptually, I explore to what extent the anthropological framework on crisis, uncertainty, and the future can engage in dialogue with the studies of just energy transition.