Liquefied Natural Gaslighting? An analysis of the German government’s discourse surrounding LNG and considerations of energy justice.

Abstract: In 2022 the Russian war against Ukraine left Germany without imports from their biggest energy supplier, forcing them to find new energy sources. One of the government’s measures was the investment in LNG, which impacts society and the environment. With a critical discourse analysis, this thesis analyzes how the government justifies their choice for LNG and how energy justice is considered within their discourse. The discourse was compared to further literature, to analyze if the government’s discourse aligns with state-of-the-art knowledge on LNG. The analysis revealed that the government’s main reason for LNG investments is to ensure Germany’s energy supply, justifying the decision by saying that LNG is used as a bridge technology, being under time pressure and protecting the economy. Five of eight energy justice principles were present in the government’s discourse, but only one, availability, could be confirmed in a review of other literature outside the discourse.