This session will canvass EnergyCo’s strategic approach to foster community support in NSW’s Renewable Energy Zones, including:

• Managing and mitigating impacts on regional communities and landowners;
• Identifying and delivering genuine benefits for regional communities; and
• Coordinating the delivery of enabling infrastructure and services to address cumulative impacts.

• As Australia’s traditional energy assets retire, the new transmission infrastructure we need to deliver renewable energy to consumers will have an impact on many local communities.
• With 10,000 km of transmission to be built, time is of the essence to develop constructive relationships and attain meaningful social licence to proceed.
• Danielle will discuss the AEMC’s work on ‘the rules of engagement’ as a vital step in improving community participation in planning decisions and establishing greater confidence and accountability around major projects

• People and the energy transition – the big picture context
• Social licence and infrastructure hosting
• Community benefit and opportunity
• Equity, fairness and the transition

• Building relationships, trust and being in community
• Drawing out the community voice in decision making
• Being agile and tailoring engagement to suit the local community
• Using lessons learnt and demonstrate change

• Acciona Energia will share their experience in engaging with communities on their wind and solar farm developments
• Bringing a focus on person-to-person engagement, they will talk about their team make-up and how different skillsets, backgrounds and experience can create stronger connections with communities and stakeholders
• In particular, this session will talk to the critical importance of strong engagement and support for First Nations communities, and how this needs to come from a place of listening first and a willingness to learn.

• Identifying the needs and priorities of local communities in energy infrastructure development projects.
• Strategies for promoting community engagement and participation in decision-making processes.
• Best practices for ensuring equitable distribution of benefits and resources to local communities.
• Exploring innovative financing models for community-led energy infrastructure projects.

• Explain why early community engagement is crucial in the planning stages of offshore wind transmission projects.
• Local knowledge and concerns can inform project design and decision-making, leading to better solutions.
• Collaborating with technical teams to integrate community and stakeholder feedback to decision making
• Working with communities already fatigued by multiple consultations.

This presentation will draw on benefit sharing case studies to demonstrate:

• The importance of integrating benefit sharing with community engagement
• What it can achieve for a community long term
• The importance of local involvement and ownership
• Risk and opportunities with benefit sharing programs as they expand in line with the scale of renewable energy developments.

• strategies & examples for deepening the level of participation of communities in renewables projects and the transition more broadly
• how deeper engagement & participation can lead to great benefits for communities & projects.
• how renewable energy can build a better future for everyone

• Prioritising community informed job creation & industry diversification.
• Communities leading transition & partnerships.
• Strength led approaches to embracing a net zero future.

• The arrival of Esso in Sale Victoria in the 1960’s
• The American’s and their influence on housing, menu’s, local businesses and how we spent our time
• The settling in – transferring skills and jobs onto the local people