Community Benefits Take Centre Stage in Renewable Projects

At the 2025 Engagement Institute Annual Conference, the session Community Benefits in Renewable Energy: Maximising Impact Where it Matters brought a packed room of practitioners, developers and policy advisers together to tackle a vital question: how can renewable energy projects deliver benefits that last?

Facilitated by Margaret Harvie, the session unpacked the fast-evolving landscape of community benefit requirements across Australia. Most states have now introduced formal Community Benefit Guidelines, many within the past year, while others are tightening expectations under new planning or licensing frameworks.

“Embedding community engagement and benefit-sharing in renewable energy projects is not just a regulatory requirement – it’s a business imperative,” the session concluded, referencing commentary from AusEnergy Services Ltd (formerly AEMO Services Limited, subsidiary of AEMO).

Delegates explored case studies from AGL, EnergyAustralia and Acciona Energía, each illustrating different approaches to aligning company outcomes with local aspirations — from employment and co-ownership to supplier opportunities and community infrastructure.

A key highlight was the introduction of Queensland’s new 2025 Toolkit for Local Government, which includes practical checklists and templates to assess proponents’ social impact and legacy planning. These tools mark a shift from reactive engagement to proactive benefit design.

The discussion also touched on the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS), which embeds binding First Nations and community benefit commitments into project agreements — signalling that social licence is now hardwired into the investment model.

Participants left motivated to:

• Think laterally about benefits — not just financial, but social, cultural and legacy-based.

• Shape benefits collaboratively with communities early in the project lifecycle.

• Use emerging national and state toolkits as anchors for consistent practice.