Communicative power in energy transitions: Media discourse on biorefineries in Spain

<ns3:p>Background This study analyses how Spanish digital media frame biorefineries, a key renewable energy technology in the country’s energy transition. It draws on theories of social acceptance of renewable energies and the political economy of communication to examine how power asymmetries in media coverage influence public perception and participation. Methods A mixed-methods discourse analysis and social listening approach was applied to a corpus of 350 media articles (88 unique cases) published between 2019 and 2024 and collected through Onclusive Social. Articles were coded according to actor presence, argument type, tone, territorial context and socioeconomic indicators. Reliability was ensured through double coding and Cohen’s kappa statistics. Results The analysis reveals a marked dominance of corporate and institutional actors in shaping narratives, with economic arguments strongly associated with positive coverage, while environmental and health concerns predict negative tone. Rural areas display more critical discourse than urban ones, challenging conventional NIMBY explanations. From these findings, the study derives the Communicative Hegemony Model in Energy Transition (CHMET) as a conceptual outcome that integrates observed patterns of media power and proposes axes for future testing and comparative research. Conclusions Spanish media discourse on biorefineries reflects structural imbalances that may condition social acceptance of renewable energy projects. Policy recommendations include strengthening independent scientific communication, promoting binding public deliberation and enhancing journalistic standards to balance stakeholder voices. By presenting CHMET as a product of the analysis and a framework for deeper investigation, the study contributes both empirical evidence and a conceptual tool to advance research on communicative power in energy transitions.</ns3:p>