In a context of growing freedom in the movement of capital and constant technological advances, energy projects abound in which companies deploy the largest and most efficient technologies to produce electricity. Despite the increased efficiency with respect to labour needs, old and new technologies both require large numbers of workers during the construction period, leading to a situation of potential social and demographic change to nearby communities, which are often located in remote areas and with a low capacity to accommodate waves of rapid population growth. Advances in energy boomtown studies provide a theoretically sophisticated framework for understanding the potential impact of these projects, particularly in terms of drastic population growth and subsequent damage to the social fabric. In this article, I study the social impact of the most prominent energy development of this type in contemporary Spain, the As Pontes fossil fuelled power plant. While data analysis shows mixed evidence of increases in crime, social tensions between different intra-class and inter-class groups extend beyond manufacturing and remain after the production period. More consistent, however, is the evidence of significant increases in social illnesses such as suicides among the young during the closure period. I apply Ruddell and Ray’s framework of the boomtown life-course and develop it further by linking it to social capital and rural gentrification theories to improve understanding of the case of As Pontes, while advocating greater attention to the social dimensions of energy megaprojects and the need of innovative strategies of governance.

在资本流动日益自由和技术不断进步的背景下，能源项目比比皆是，公司在这些项目中部署了最大和最有效的技术来发电。尽管在劳动力需求方面提高了效率，但新旧技术在施工期间都需要大量工人，导致附近社区可能发生社会和人口变化的情况，这些社区通常位于偏远地区，低收入适应人口快速增长浪潮的能力。能源新兴城市研究的进展为理解这些项目的潜在影响提供了一个理论上复杂的框架，特别是在人口急剧增长和随后对社会结构的破坏方面。在本文中，我研究了当代西班牙最突出的此类能源开发项目 As Pontes 化石燃料发电厂的社会影响。虽然数据分析显示犯罪增加的证据不一，但不同阶级内和阶级间群体之间的社会紧张局势超出了制造业，并在生产期过后仍然存在。然而，更一致的是，有证据表明在关闭期间年轻人的自杀等社会疾病显着增加。我应用 Ruddell 和 Ray 的新兴城市生命历程框架，并通过将其与社会资本和农村绅士化理论联系起来进一步发展它，以提高对 As Pontes 案例的理解，同时提倡更多地关注能源大型项目的社会维度和需求创新治理战略。