“Energy Transition” as Imperial Discourse and the Role of EETs in the Geometabolism of Capital. : The Case of Zijin Mining’s Exploitation of the 3Q Project (Fiambalá, Argentina).

Abstract

Departing from the idea that the discourse of the 'energy transition' is a neo-imperial geopolitical initiative that weaponises the climate crisis for dispossession, this article aims to highlight the strategic role of large transnational extractive companies (TECs) in the geosociometabolism of capital, and consequently in the systematic reproduction of the colonialism that underpins it. First, we conduct a conceptual analysis to define and characterise the energy regime of capital, within which we conceptualise and analyse extractivism as a geosociometabolic function of accumulation. Secondly, based on our research into establishing the Tres Quebradas (3Q) lithium exploitation project in the Bolsón de Fiambalá region of Argentina, we examine the corporate profile of the Zijin Mining Group as a case in point. Our empirical study combined documentary research on Zijin's corporate policies at global and regional levels with four years of monitoring the establishment of the 3Q project in Fiambalá (2021–2025). Fieldwork involved statistical and documentary surveys, in-depth interviews, participant observation and collective, participatory data construction with various local community groups. Our findings allow us to conclude that EETs play a pivotal role in the metabolic dynamics of capital. At the global level, they facilitate the transfer of energy from marginalised regions to industrial hubs, while at the local level, they facilitate the dispossession of local communities by establishing extractivist enclaves that undermine the socio-ecological foundations of local economies.