Place-related continuity shapes support for battery industries: a qualitative interview study from two Norwegian communities

While large-scale battery factories are being established worldwide due to the rapid increase in demand for batteries for electrification, local support for these projects has not been addressed in the literature before. To fill this gap, this study explores how local inhabitants give meaning to battery industry development and the changes it brings. Using qualitative methods, semi-structured interviews with 38 local inhabitants were carried out in the towns of Mo i Rana and Arendal in Norway. The interview material was analysed according to reflexive thematic analysis and interpreted using the theories of place attachment and environmental justice while also attending to history, power relations, and the broader socio-political context. The analysis highlights that the support is partly grounded in the perceived symbolic fit between the projects and the places where the locals interpreted the new industries to maintain continuity and strengthen the distinctiveness of the towns, aligning well with the communal identity and town history. The support is also tied to the promised local benefits, particularly employment and population growth. At the same time, support coexists with concerns related to procedural justice issues, past industrial failures, and shifting socio-political dynamics, underscoring the complexity of gaining and maintaining support for energy transition projects. Some cross-case differences were evident: industrial identity and procedural concerns were more salient in Mo i Rana, whereas environmental concerns were more prominent in Arendal. The findings suggest that just and sustainable transitions depend on place-sensitive processes that take local meanings, histories, and justice concerns seriously.