Engagement in the energy transition: lessons from recent projects
- Kelly Lofberg
- Aug 27
- 3 min read
The transition to renewable energy relies on community trust as much as it does on design, technology and investment. When communities feel excluded or underestimated, projects can falter. When they are engaged early, proportionately and with clear purpose projects can adapt, improve, and succeed.
Two recent developments in the Hunter region illustrate how engagement shapes outcomes and why it must be embedded from the outset.
Reflections on the Novacastrian Offshore Wind Farm
The Novocastrian Offshore Wind Farm, a $10 billion floating offshore project, is now in doubt after Equinor, the international partner, decided not to proceed with a feasibility licence offered by the federal government. Without this partnership, Oceanex could not continue alone.
Speaking with ABC Newcastle Breakfast, Oceanex director Andy Evans reflected openly on the challenges of community engagement:
“The learnings are, that it could have been done a lot better — we needed to educate, engage differently, put more information out there and work with everyone.”
This was not the outcome anyone in the energy transition wants to see. But Evans’ openness is an important moment for the sector. It reminds us that engagement is not just a communications exercise — it is a risk management tool. When communities feel unheard or excluded, reputational, political and delivery risks can grow quickly, sometimes overwhelming even the strongest technical or financial foundations.
The Hunter Transmission Project: Engagement as risk management
By contrast, the Hunter Transmission Project (HTP) has placed engagement at the heart of its risk management approach. Now at the milestone of placing its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on public exhibition today (27/08/2025), the project has already shown how genuine dialogue can change outcomes. Read more on EnergyCo’s website.
When we first announced the project to the community in late 2023, more than 78 landholders were directly impacted by the transmission corridor. Through early and sustained engagement, the number has been reduced to fewer than 20. That reduction is more than a design achievement — it is the result of embedding engagement into the project’s DNA. Every conversation, every meeting, every design refinement reduced not just physical impacts, but also drove meaningful improvements for the community.
Mara Consulting has been proud to play a central role designing and delivering the engagement program on behalf of EnergyCo that is respectful, clear, empathetic and responsive.
A reflection for the sector
These two projects tell different stories, yet point to the same truth: engagement is not a side activity — it is central to risk management and deserves a seat at the decision making table.
When engagement is underestimated, issues surface late, concerns escalate, and reputations are tested. When engagement is embedded, it helps identify risks early, reduce impacts, and build the credibility needed to carry projects through uncertainty.
As the energy transition accelerates, the challenges will grow more complex. Transmission lines, renewable energy zones, offshore wind farms, and batteries will all invite scrutiny from diverse stakeholders with different expectations, values, and concerns.
Success will depend on more than engineering and investment. It will depend on our capacity to listen with intent, adapt when possible, and build partnerships that acknowledge the communities who live alongside these projects — not to hand over decision-making power, but to ensure their perspectives inform more balanced, resilient outcomes.
Looking ahead
At Mara, we believe engagement done late looks like performance. Engagement done early looks like respect. Most importantly, it is a way of managing risk — building trust before it is tested and reducing impacts before they escalate.
As I’ve said in recent reflections: avoiding engagement doesn’t mean avoiding risks — it means you don’t see them coming.
Who’s to say the engineers and designers have all the good ideas? By trusting engagement practitioners and by listening to stakeholders we can uncover opportunities to improve outcomes that might otherwise be missed.
Good engagement is possible when embedded from the outset: projects become stronger, risks are reduced, and communities see themselves reflected in the journey. That is how the energy transition will be delivered — not just through technology, but through trust.
Author
Kelly Lofberg is an engagement and communications professional, who specialises in complex and issues rich environments. Bringing innovative ways to solve problems is her jam. Sometimes Kel bring LEGO® too.
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