Examining the inter-relationships between procedural fairness, trust in actors, risk expectations, perceived benefits, and attitudes towards power grid expansion projects

This study contributes to the literature by examining the effects of four particular determinants of public attitudes towards power grid expansion projects, namely residents' perceived procedural fairness, their trust in actors involved in the planning procedure, their risk expectations, and their perceived benefits. By accessing data collected from residents living along and in the wider area of a controversially discussed grid expansion project in Germany, a theoretically derived path model was tested empirically by means of structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that perceived procedural fairness directly affected residents’ trust in actors and indirectly influenced their risk expectations, their perceived benefits, and attitudes. Trust exerted a significant influence on risk expectations, perceived benefits, and attitudes, whereas risk expectations and perceived benefits significantly affected attitudes. Overall, the findings provide novel insights into specific mechanisms that shape public attitudes towards the construction of new HVTLs and suggest that it is crucial for the competent planning authorities and transmission system operators to provide fair information and participation measures and establish a trustworthy relationship to local residents affected by the infrastructure project.