– Toby Thorpe, Tasmania Community Engagement Manager.

Tasmania continues to play an important part in Australia's renewable energy shift, with ambitious goals to not only meet but exceed its energy needs through renewable sources. Central to this vision, at the Renewable Energy Alliance (RE-Alliance) we know the inclusion of local communities in decision-making processes and the cultivation of a skilled workforce to drive the state's clean energy initiatives are pivotal. 

Recognising the importance of community involvement, last year the State Government published the Guideline for Community Engagement, Benefit Sharing, and Local Procurement. This framework set standards for best practice, ensuring that local communities are actively consulted and involved throughout the lifecycle of renewable energy projects – from site selection and feasibility studies, to design, planning, construction, operations and decommissioning. There is a big focus on benefit sharing and local procurement in recognition that this is best practice. Tasmanians expect developers to meet, or go beyond best practice.

​Tasmania's expansion of renewable energy is needed to continue to power the state (with a growing population), to drive new industries, expand existing ones and extend the role we play in the east-coast grid. This all presents significant opportunities and notable workforce challenges. The state has achieved net 100% renewable energy generation capacity in our electricity grid, primarily through hydro and wind resources. However, to continue to support existing industries and communities to grow, and to support electrification more generally, Tasmania needs new renewable energy generation and grid capacity. This shift will see a substantial expansion of the workforce to support the growing renewable energy infrastructure.​

With new projects announced, or approved, we’re having a lot of conversations around workforce and training, through our engagement with community and local government leaders across the state. The follow-up question we often hear after discussion on workforce is ‘and what about housing?’ With a recent estimate from the University of Tasmania suggesting our state’s electricity sector workforce could reach 3,500 people by 2030, Tasmania needs more collaboration and investment to bridge these gaps.

Proactive initiatives in addressing potential workforce challenges are needed. The recent announcement that a Clean Energy Centre of Excellence will be set up at TasTAFE's Burnie campus exemplifies this effort. With a joint investment of $27.2 million from the Australian and Tasmanian governments, the centre aims to develop training programs focused on filling the skills workforce gap. This initiative seeks to create alternative pathways into the sector and strengthen employment opportunities in the Tasmanian energy sector. We are a big fan of this one and are keen to see similar efforts put into addressing local housing issues for local workforce growth and to ensure temporary workforce hubs deliver useful and usable legacy infrastructure.  ​

Tasmania’s Government recently moved to use the major projects pathway for renewable energy projects, aiming to streamline the approvals process for significant wind, solar and battery developments. The land-owners designed Cellars Hill Wind Farm will be one of the first renewable energy projects to follow this pathway. We will watch with interest how this approach balances efficiency with transparency and community involvement. 

Using the major projects pathway for more projects could help meet the state’s growing energy needs while relieving pressure on under-resourced local councils. However, this pathway could reduce community engagement and transparency in decision-making.

Under the current system, local councils in Tasmania play an important role in community consultations, but the major projects pathway may make it harder for residents to access information and have their voices heard. RE-Alliance is advocating for Local Energy Hubs to be set up in key regions of Tasmania to provide independent, trusted information to affected communities.

Regardless of the new pathway, the role of local councils in project assessments and in engagement with developers requires ongoing capacity and could be enhanced through a clear framework for local development contributions. Payment in lieu of rates (PiLoR) for operational energy projects has been a key area of interest across local governments and with communities. A system like PiLoR (which operates in Victoria) ensures renewable energy developments contribute a consistent amount to local governments in addition to hyper local community benefit funds. With Tasmania’s growing investment in wind, solar and battery projects, a fair and effective PiLoR model can provide local councils with the necessary revenue to support infrastructure and services upgrades. More work is needed to determine the best approach for Tasmania, ensuring that any rate scheme has strong governance, delivers long-term benefits for regional communities and maintains confidence in the sector.

Making sure that Tasmania fosters community engagement, supports local governments and is investing in workforce development, we can advance renewable energy generation, grow and strengthen our communities and industries. But we’ve got to ensure that the skills and opportunities for Tasmania are captured and that the wider benefits of this shift are shared equitably among its communities.