Energy poverty and the green transition: a spatial hotspot perspective on European NUTS 2 regions

Abstract

Energy poverty, understood as the inability to secure sufficient household energy services for an adequate standard of living, remains a structural challenge for sustainable and inclusive development in Europe. Using Eurostat data for 2022 at NUTS 2 level, this paper investigates whether energy poverty displays spatial patterns and how these are related to regional socioeconomic conditions. The analysis combines exploratory spatial data analysis with global and local indicators of spatial association to detect spatial dependence and to identify statistically significant hotspot and coldspot regions. Results show strong spatial autocorrelation and the presence of spatial clusters, suggesting that energy poverty is geographically concentrated rather than randomly distributed. A profiling of significant clusters compared to regional socioeconomic indicators reveals that hotspot regions are consistently associated with broader forms of socioeconomic disadvantage and weaker economic performance. These findings can have implications for green and sustainable development strategies since energy transition policies may require place-based design to avoid reinforcing territorial inequalities and to improve social cohesion. In this sense, the study offers a framework for targeting interventions toward identified hotspots and for integrating distributive considerations into regional development and resilience agendas.