The paper is structured in the following way. First, we introduce
the notions of ‘‘matters of fact’’ and ‘‘matters of concern’’. Second,
we turn to the literature on place and place-making to analyse the
importance of place in environmental controversies and explain
how these places themselves can turn into places of concern. We
then offer an overview of the HidroAysen dam project and the
Patagonia Sin Represas (Patagonia Without Dams, PWD) movement
in Chile, and the Bo Nok Power Plant and the Bo Nok local conservation
group in Thailand. The core empirical sections follow, starting
by showing how these places turned into matters of concern
and how they have been produced in specific ways by environmental
movements. Subsequently, we identify the ways in which these
places of concern have become key ‘‘allies’’ in the contestation
process, as they are frequently visited and cited by (other)
environmental movements. In the last two parts of the paper, we
reflect on the cases and their implications for the study and practice
of energy controversies, environmental movements, and
place-making.