As demand for energy is growing and resources become scarcer, energy increasingly becomes the site of
heated controversies. In Latour’s terms, energy turns from a ‘‘matter of fact’’ into a ‘‘matter of concern’’. In
these energy controversies, environmental movements frequently play a central role, highlighting what is
at stake in these developments. While these movements have often been studied, these studies rarely
focus on the interaction between controversies, environmental movements, and place-making. In this
article, we not only argue that energy is frequently turned from matter of fact into a matter of concern,
but that this argument also extends to the notion of place. As such, energy controversies turn villages,
cities, or regions themselves into ‘‘places of concern’’. The article delves deeper into the production of
places of concern through two case studies of energy controversies around power plants: a proposed coal
plant in Bo Nok, Thailand, and HidroAysen, a hydropower project in Chilean Patagonia. We specifically
focus on the issues that were opened up for debate in both countries, and on the role of environmental
movements in the production of these places. Our examples are based on fieldwork and interviews in
these two areas, as well as media and document analysis. While the two cases are from two different
countries, we nonetheless find surprising parallels between them. These insights are instrumental to link
theoretical debates on controversies and place-making. Moreover, they provide empirical insights into
the transformative and lasting effects of energy controversies on people and places.