Social licence and engagement with local communities is something the clean energy industry has long accepted as essential to a fair, reasonable energy transition. But as clean energy accelerates in Australia – as it must do to meet the Federal Government’s ambitious targets and beyond – how do developers ensure their operations are appropriately conducted, and that local groups are as informed and engaged as possible? The above is particularly (though not only) important to First Nations peoples. Thankfully, as the industry matures and grows, engagement with and respect for First Nations communities is growing too. More and more projects are creating meaningful relationships with regional communities and producing good-news stories as a result. 

One such project is Neoen’s Goyder Renewables Zone, a hybrid wind, solar and battery development along Goyder’s Line of Rainfall, on Ngadjuri country near the town of Burra, South Australia. The project is split into two sections, Goyder North and Goyder South. The 412 MW Stage 1 of Goyder South is currently under construction and is Neoen’s largest wind power asset worldwide. There are additional stages of Goyder South with development approval for up to 600 MW of wind, 600 MW of solar, and 900 MW / 1,800 MWh of battery storage. Goyder North is yet to be approved but is proposed as a 600–1,000 MW wind farm. Neoen has put in place a number of benefit-sharing apparatus in the area, chief among which is the creation of a new national park in South Australia’s Mid North, now owned by South Australia’s Department of Environment and Water and to be managed in consultation with the Ngadjuri Nation. The park will bring enormous conservation and economic benefits to the region, as well as provide access to a uniquely beautiful location to the local communities.

The approximately 1,000 hectares of land that constitute Worlds End Gorge are adjacent to the Goyder Renewables Zone, and were purchased by Neoen from local landowners with funding from its Native Vegetation Offset program under the Goyder South Stage 1 wind farm.In late 2023, Neoen gifted this land to the South Australian Government to own in perpetuity and manage in consultation with the Ngadjuri Nation. It will be combined with the neighbouring Hopkins Creek Conservation Park to form the new 1,600ha national park at Worlds End Gorge. To the south of that area, there will be a 9km stretch of private, protected country in the Hallelujah Hills, for use by the Ngadjuri Nation.The project encapsulates what can be achieved with both outside-the-box thinking and enthusiastic and respectful collaboration with Traditional Owners, with benefits that will endure beyond initial consultations or agreements. The national park will be co-named in consultation with Traditional Owners, there will be Aboriginal rangers hired to help maintain the land, and a community reference group will be established, which will include representatives from the Ngadjuri Nation. But most importantly, it means the land will be conserved and protected, and that the Ngadjuri Nation will have a say in the future treatment of their lands.

“We [Neoen] are contributing an annual payment for the 30+ year lifetime of the Goyder South Stage 1 wind farm to support conservation activities and the fulfillment of the land’s use as a native vegetation offset,” says Tom Jenkins, State Leader for South Australia and Tasmania at Neoen. “We are interested in developing high-quality projects because they form the basis of our revenue, and we work hard to build a meaningful social licence because we become part of the fabric of the community as long-term neighbours.“It is reciprocal,” says Jenkins. “A supportive host community always means a better, stronger project, the construction process is always supported by having more local employees with local knowledge. We treasure the long-term trusted relationships that we build and which ground us in the reality of what it means, and we really enjoy being able to celebrate project milestones with the community – it is a joint effort. We also rely on communities to guide us on the best ways to share benefits from the project, and to help implement those initiatives. Worlds End Gorge, for example, would not have been possible without the participation of many stakeholders at the community level.”

Neoen is keen to explore whether models like the Goyder Renewables Zone could be replicated in other regions on other projects. “As a long-term owner-operator,” says Lisa Stiebel, Head of Communications and Engagement at Neon, “we always have our eye on opportunities that could unlock multiple layers of benefits and legacies for our host communities.” The key for developers is to engage with local communities and Traditional Owners and learn about the area, and from those discussions, draw up a sense of what makes the area unique, and what therefore could benefit it. There is no single map to effective benefit-sharing or social licence – but what is essential is that companies do their research and spend the time to come up with innovative offerings like the national park at Worlds End Gorge.

The legacy of renewables can be a positive one, not just for Australia’s urgent need to combat the climate crisis, but for the future growth of the economy, regional power improvements, energy stability, job opportunities, and lower energy prices for all Australians.As the Goyder Renewables Zone project demonstrates, that legacy can also extend beyond clean energy itself, and can bring long-lasting benefits to the communities and Traditional Owners whose lands house the energy transition.“The renewable industry has evolved its approach to engagement considerably since its early days, [and] standards are increasingly high among the major players,” says Stiebel. “The challenge is in ensuring that these practices are industry wide. We are involved in collectively building social licence for the broader energy transition, not simply for our own projects.”