Between inertia, stagnation, and transition. A multidisciplinary analysis of key social and environmental challenges and structural barriers in the “Maritsa East” complex
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Date
2026-08-02
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Plovdiv University Press
Abstract
This paper presents a multidisciplinary analysis of energy transformation, focusing on the
structural dependence on coal in the Maritsa Iztok complex. Moving beyond narrow technical
paradigms, the framework integrates key concepts from the social sciences and Science and
Technology Studies, including “carbon lock-in” (Unruh, 2000), the “risk society” and “organized
irresponsibility” (Beck, 1995, 2013), power dynamics in sustainability transitions (Avelino, 2017), the
temporality of energy transitions (Sovacool, 2016), the energy justice framework (Jenkins et al., 2016),
and the concept of technical democracy (Callon et al., 2009). Drawing on this theoretical synthesis, the
paper argues that energy systems are deeply embedded within complex socio-political structures.
Carbon lock-in is conceptualized as a co-evolutionary process that reinforces fossil fuel dependence,
while institutional frameworks contribute to the diffusion of responsibility for environmental risks.
Ultimately, the analysis emphasizes that the energy transition represents a structural conflict between
institutional inertia, entrenched networks of influence, and increasingly urgent societal demands for
environmental justice and accountability.
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Keywords
Carbon lock-in, Maritsa East, socio-technical transition, risk society, technical democracy, organized irresponsibility, environmental justice