Renewable Energy Community Benefits

Recent revisions to state legislation have changed how large-scale renewable energy and battery storage developments are planned and approved. 

Key changes include:

• Queensland Government's State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) has replaced Council as assessment manager for such development applications.
• Development applications for such proposals are now impact assessable requiring mandatory public notification.
• Proponents are now required to complete a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and establish a Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) with the relevant Local Government before lodging a development application with the State Government.

Renewable Energy Community Benefit Policy 

Bundaberg Regional Council has adopted a policy to establish a clear and consistent framework for the negotiation, execution and ongoing management of Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) to ensure large-scale renewable energy and battery storage developments deliver measurable, enduring and legacy benefits to the Bundaberg Region.

This policy guides how Council will meet its obligations under state legislation for the negotiation of CBA's in the Bundaberg Region.  

Council expects that each CBA will:

• deliver tangible, equitable and enduring community benefits, informed by a robust Social Impact Assessment (SIA);
• reflect community needs, expectations and aspirations, through early and meaningful engagement with Council and the community;
• complement and enhance existing local community organisations and initiatives;
• support and align with Council’s strategic priorities and long-term planning frameworks, including but not limited to Council’s Corporate Plan, Economic Development Strategy and Community Development Strategy; and
• be informed by a Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) that clearly documents management measures and how obligations are to be fulfilled, monitored and reviewed, to safeguard accountability and sustain community trust for the operational life of the development and beyond.

The policy sets the minimum annual value of community benefits based on the scale and type of the project.

To offset costs to Council in managing the Renewable Energy Community Benefit Scheme, the policy establishes a new cost recovery fee of $40,000 for proponents applying for a CBA negotiation.

The policy also imposes an annual administration fee of up to 5% of the value of the annual Community Benefit Contribution, which is payable in addition to the contribution.

View Renewable Energy Community Benefit Policy (PDF, 368KB)

Frequently Asked Questions