L'énergie, nouvelle question publique urbaine. Sécurisation et réorganisation de la fourniture énergétique et nouvelles mobilisations urbaines
The purpose of the paper is to propose a synthetic reflection about the teachings of a research dealing with the transformation of the energy issue in several Arab cities and to link it to the revolutionary movements. Traditionally seen as a geopolitical and state issue, the issue of energy in the countries of the southern Mediterranean takes on new dimensions in relation to injunctions related to sustainable development and the emergence of renewable energy, in a context of a very strong growth of demand, particularly noticeable in the cities. This in turn spurs significant tensions on prices. Injunctions related to climate change and supported by international institutions are superimposed to existing tensions, which translates locally by shortages and price increases, as well as mobilizations that are primarily focused on these issues. While a Lebanese case represent a dramatic and extreme example, with power cuts reaching 12 to 15 hours per day, as a result from poor reconstruction policies, almost no country on the southern shore is untouched by such power cuts, which can also affect the gas. Protests against increases in electricity tariffs have made the headlines for months in Jordan, and Egypt and Tunisia experiencing occasional shortages of gas bottle provoking anger. In response to this social anger - and more broadly to the pressures by the productive actors also-, the authorities embark on various types of public policies. Among the most notable transformation is the emergence of the energy issue not only as a national issue but as a metropolitan one, where local authorities are in connection with various economic local actors and the traditional players in the energy sector (governmental institutions, energy utilities). There are two major components in these policies: an institutional reorganization marked by the spirit of the new public management, involved liberalization and partial privatization of the sector, and the development of a new types of energy supply, such as the development of city gas (Cairo, Tunisian cities) or construction projects of nuclear power plants (controversial project in the outskirts of Amman, Jordan) or the development of renewable energy programs. At different degrees and in various forms, these new projects involve the participation of local actors and require the inclusion of urban issues in their development and implementation. The context of the Arab revolts amplifies these changes, notably because street protesters renewed and widened their claims related to energy issues. This context also plays at a second level: the demand for democracy is consistent with the claim for decentralization and therefore a greater consideration of the interests of local actors. The paper will be based on field work in Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia.