Community Engagement Conference: Energy & Data Infrastructure

Building on the success and growing industry support of the last 3 conferences, the Community Engagement Conference: Energy & Data Infrastructure 2026 returns on the 13-14 October 2026 at the Swissotel, Sydney.

With the rapid rollout of renewable and clean energy infrastructure to fast-track the national net-zero goals, social license and community engagement have become a crucial factor for energy companies to accelerate projects. Community engagement is essential for developing and operating new energy infrastructure, including transmission lines, onshore and offshore wind farms, data centres, solar, and storage, to ensure greater transparency between communities and the industry.

The Community Engagement Conference: Energy & Data Infrastructure will bring together industry and community leaders to address key issues and develop effective solutions that will drive the path towards net zero. This event is a valuable opportunity to learn about the latest insights and best practices to effectively engage and benefit local communities, build trust, and achieve project success.

Topics will include:

• Government role, reforms, and initiatives
• The importance of early and ongoing community engagement in the development of new energy infrastructure projects
• Best practices for effective community engagement, including building trust, transparency, collaboration and open communication
• Case studies of successful community engagement initiatives for new energy infrastructure projects, highlighting the challenges and opportunities involved
• Key learnings from previous projects and the value of tailoring engagement strategies to the needs of different communities
• First Nations and Traditional Owner Engagement
• Measuring the success of community engagement efforts is important for ensuring that projects meet communities’ needs.
• The future of community engagement in the energy sector

"It is upon us all in the energy sector to build the relationships…and the social licence…that enables the infrastructure that enables the energy transition to serve all Australians."
– Daniel Westerman, AEMO, May 2023

"Social license for energy infrastructure is critical to ensuring the transformation of Australia’s grid is as smooth as possible and not enough attention has been paid to getting this right."
– Minister Chris Bowen, July 2022

"Effective community consultation and engagement is essential for large-scale renewable energy and transmission projects to gain widespread support and earn the ‘social license’ to operate within the community."
– Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner

"When it comes to transmission, social licence is the most important issue we have to face. A near-total rebuild of the grid comes with challenges, particularly for the communities where projects will be built."
– Minister Chris Bowen, May 2023 – Financial Review