ANÁLISE DOS DISCURSOS DE LEGITIMIDADE NO CONTEXTO DO HIDROGÊNIO VERDE NO ESTADO DO CEARÁ, BRASIL

The search for technological legitimacy is essential for the implementation and dissemination of new technologies for energy transitions, but the geographical understanding of new green hydrogen (GH) hubs is still limited. Based on this, this study analyzed the legitimacy-building process for announced investments in the GH hub located in the state of Ceará, Brazil. To do so, a text corpus of 498 articles from two main newspapers in Ceará was analyzed using qualitative data analysis software. Five main themes were identified in the stakeholders’ discourses: i) natural vocation of the territory, ii) global protagonism, iii) breaking with the past, iv) urgency of the moment, and v) state action. The legitimacy discourses sought to build a solid base of social and institutional support for the GH project in the state, presenting it in public debates as a profitable climate solution and key element in addressing socio-environmental challenges in Ceará. However, there are geographical implications related to the appropriation of traditional territories, the reshaping of new energy landscapes, and the multi-scalar dependency of renewable energy systems, which have received little attention in public debates given the limited space for critical opinions on GH.