Electrifying stories: The economy, the environment and global change in news media discourse on the developing Finnish battery industry

The green transition necessitates large-scale battery solutions. Finland has initiated the development of a national battery cluster, supported by a range of policy instruments aimed at attracting investments. Although energy social research has examined the role of language and power in energy policy through discursive approaches, limited attention has been paid to how the battery industry is represented and contested in news media. We deem these debates crucial because of the centrality of meaning-giving to policy formation, especially the intricate interdependencies between media coverage, public opinion, and the shaping of policy decisions about emerging technologies. This study employs argumentative discourse analysis (ADA) to investigate how the development of the Finnish battery industry is discursively constructed and contested in the news media and which storylines and linguistic devices are used by which actors or discourse coalitions. A total of 287 articles published between 2020 and 2024 on two Finnish regions developing battery clusters were analyzed. The findings reveal four main storylines: speeding up the investments, concern about the local environment, small Finland amid global change and education for growth . The analysis demonstrates that powerful discourse coalitions—particularly political and industrial actors—predominantly frame battery investments as urgent and economically beneficial, often marginalizing environmental and geopolitical risks. These risks are downplayed through narratives emphasizing national competitiveness and economic opportunity. By examining these discursive dynamics, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of the evolving relationship between the state and the market, highlighting the increasing role of the state in shaping industrial development.