Acknowledgement of Country. The Social Licence Register acknowledges the Wiradjuri, Wailwan and Kamilaroi peoples as Traditional Custodians of the lands of the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, and pays respect to Elders past and present.
Communities across the region want to understand what's being built, what opportunities exist, and what commitments have been made. The Register brings publicly available project information together in one place so it's easier to find, understand and follow over time.
Find renewable energy projects in your area and see what is being built, what opportunities are available, what benefits have been committed, and what information is still unclear. Search by local government area.
Pick a council area to see every project with a footprint there — what's already happening, what's coming if it goes ahead, and what's still years off or not proceeding at all.
The Social Licence Register brings project information together in one place using publicly available planning, approval and reporting documents. Information is organised so you can quickly understand what is happening nearby, what opportunities exist now, what benefits have been committed, and what isn't publicly available.
Every entry is drawn from primary planning, approval and reporting documents, and each claim links back to the page it came from. See how we verify.
The Register helps communities understand what's happening nearby. We do not advocate for or against projects. Our analysis is based on verifiable information from primary planning and approval documents, applied consistently across every project.
The Register tracks ten social licence categories common to renewable energy approvals, highlighting measurable commitments and areas where information isn't clear yet.
Traditional Owners are the First Peoples of this Country, holding continuing rights, responsibilities, knowledge and cultural connections to the land, waters and heritage where these projects are built. They participate as rights-holders, cultural custodians and decision-makers, and engagement with them is a fundamental part of responsible project development.
The Register recognises the importance of Traditional Owner engagement, cultural heritage protection, native title processes and self-determined decision-making. Many of these relationships are built through dialogue, trust, cultural authority and agreements that are not necessarily public, and often should not be. Communities themselves decide what information is shared publicly and what remains private.
For that reason, the Register focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation as a distinct category. This includes publicly identifiable commitments and outcomes relating to employment, training, apprenticeships, procurement, business development, community partnerships and other opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to participate in and benefit from renewable energy development.
This focus does not place participation above cultural heritage or Traditional Owner engagement. Rather, it reflects the fact that participation commitments are more likely to appear in public documents and can therefore be identified consistently across projects.
Different people use the Register for different reasons. Each group gets the information that helps them make better decisions.
We’re committed to providing accurate, up-to-date information that supports better outcomes for regional communities. If you spot an error or have more current information, let us know and share the source.
Pick your council area and you'll see every project with a footprint there — what's already happening, what's coming if it goes ahead, and what's still years off or not proceeding at all.
The council tabs cover the four host councils of the Central-West Orana REZ, plus the shared transmission line. Two projects sit in a neighbouring shire that is not a host council — Milpulling Wind Farm and Gilgandra Solar Farm, both in Gilgandra Shire — so they are listed in the full project list rather than under a council tab.
Every renewable energy or storage project with a footprint in a host council. Projects that have lodged a planning assessment or been approved are fully tracked; earlier ones sit on the watch-list; withdrawn ones stay visible so the record answers the question either way.
| Project | Developer | Type & size | Host council | Stage | Access right | In the register |
|---|
Compiled from the NSW Major Projects planning portal by host council area — broader than the REZ network boundary, so a few edge projects are included for completeness — cross-checked against EnergyCo's access-rights list, reviewed August 2026. Long-established projects generating for more than a year sit outside scope: Suntop Solar, Bodangora Wind and Beryl Solar.
Everything on this page compares projects against each other or aggregates them across a council area. That is the working layer a licence pays for.
Many projects do not have a confirmed construction start date. Project approval does not mean construction is guaranteed. Projects may still require financing, approvals and commercial agreements before construction can begin.
Because construction timing is often uncertain, councils, training providers, businesses and communities may find it difficult to plan for future workforce, housing and service needs. The Register highlights where project timing is publicly available and where it remains uncertain.
Each host council’s projects, with the community benefit fund per project and the average workforce, ongoing jobs and build window. Every project links to its full record.
See project timelines, approvals, community commitments and supporting source information for every project in the Register.
The original dashboard's full project record, for every project in the zone.
The NSW Government’s total investment for community and jobs benefits. It’s paid upfront through the Transmission Acceleration Fund, so communities get support before construction begins. Everything below is drawn from this total — not added on top of it.
Long-term community infrastructure for eligible councils.
Grants for community projects.
Grants for small community organisations.
For First Nations community and business projects.
Separate from CEBP: the ACEREZ Community Grants — a grants program run by the transmission operator (Acciona/Cobra/Endeavour), not government money. $3K–$50K small grants and $50K–$1M significant grants across five rounds (2026–2028). Shown in full in the ACEREZ project view under Community Benefit Fund.
What's been allocated, who benefits, and when communities will see outcomes
| Level | Type | Programme | Council | Amount | What's been funded & who benefits | When | Status |
|---|
Sources: EnergyCo CWO REZ Grant Guidelines (July 2024); NSW Government $60M announcement (April 2025); RenewEconomy reporting; EnergyCo CEBP page; ACEREZ community page (acerez.com.au); First Nations Clean Energy Strategy (energy.gov.au Dec 2024); AER CWO REZ revenue determination; pv magazine Australia (April 2025). Amounts tagged "Reported" are from public announcements but not independently verified against disbursement records. "Allocated" means budgeted but delivery status unknown. [external]
Every renewable energy and storage project connected to the Central-West Orana region. Projects in planning, approved, operating and withdrawn are all included, helping communities understand what has been proposed, what is moving ahead and what is no longer proceeding. Developers are given an opportunity to respond before publication.
The Register is an independent summary of publicly available information. It reports what can be verified from the public record and does not speculate, draw conclusions, or make findings about the conduct, performance, intentions or motives of any person or organisation. Users should refer to original source documents and not rely on the Register as legal, financial, planning or investment advice.
Each finding is based on whether a documented obligation can be verified as met or not met using a published methodology.
Assessments rely on source documents and publicly available information. Personal views and subjective judgement are not part of the process.
Before publication, project proponents are invited to identify factual errors or provide additional publicly available information relevant to the assessment.
If new, verifiable information becomes available, the Register will review and update records where required.
Record reviewed: August 2026. Information reflects publicly available documents reviewed by the Register as at September 2026.
The Register primarily relies on primary planning documents and publicly available information. These include:
All projects are assessed against requirements that apply within the planning framework, including environmental protection, biodiversity, heritage, traffic management and community benefit obligations where relevant. Requirements vary between projects; assessments consider only obligations documented in publicly available records.
First Nations obligations go well beyond cultural heritage. NSW guidance for renewable projects sets expectations for genuine engagement with Traditional Owners and knowledge holders, drawing on principles of free, prior and informed consent, self-determination and benefit-sharing. Because these expectations have strengthened over time and apply differently depending on when each project was consented, the register tracks First Nations participation as one of its ten categories, it is not treated as a fixed baseline.
Before any update is published, the section that names a developer, council or agency is shared with them for factual checking. Parties can:
Classifications do not change unless supported by primary evidence.
If an error is identified, it is corrected with:
Earlier versions remain visible for transparency.
Project proponents may request correction of factual errors by providing supporting evidence. Corrections and updates are recorded to maintain transparency and accuracy.
The detail behind the method: what the terms mean, which policy applied when each project was consented, the five patterns across the zone, and how to use the Register.
Projects were approved under different policy settings. This timeline shows why commitments vary and which expectations applied to which projects.
This view highlights five patterns that appear across all four LGAs. They are not the only issues in the data. There are many others. These five show up consistently across the REZ and point to system-level challenges that will need attention as the transition progresses.
Many projects do not have a confirmed construction start date. Councils can’t plan housing, roads, childcare or services. TAFEs can’t time training. Communities can’t prepare. This is the single biggest barrier to fair and orderly delivery — and the biggest opportunity for improvement.
Across all four LGAs, housing strain begins before construction peaks, as early works and contractor mobilisation pressure local rentals. Most active projects have published Accommodation and Employment Strategies, and some commit to worker camps, but camps tend to arrive late and few add new, permanent housing. Local rental stock absorbs much of the pressure. Coordinating early impacts, peaks and worker accommodation would deliver the greatest benefit for councils and communities.
Most projects are still pre-construction, so local hiring is yet to happen and there is little outcome data to report. The deeper issue is structural: commitments to apprenticeships, skills and local employment rarely set numerical targets, and almost none require outcome reporting. So even once construction begins, there is no consistent way to see whether training and skills investment converts into real project jobs for local people. Building targets and reporting into conditions now would let councils, TAFE NSW, developers and government track what works.
Annual payments range from zero to several hundred thousand dollars. Formulas differ. Indexation is unclear. Some are lump sums; some are floors; some are unpublished. A consistent approach would give communities clarity and confidence — and lift the floor across the REZ.
Some projects publish operational jobs; others don’t. Local procurement commitments are often broad statements without targets or reporting. Clear, consistent reporting would help councils, communities and local businesses see the real long-term benefit.
The Register helps communities understand what renewable energy projects are proposing, what benefits may flow to the region, and where opportunities exist for local jobs, businesses and community investment. Use this information to ask informed questions, engage directly with project proponents and make the most of opportunities within your community.
We’re committed to providing accurate, up-to-date information that supports better outcomes for regional communities. If you spot an error or have more current information, let us know and share the source.
Communities access the Register for free. Organisations license tools that help them analyse, compare and work with the data.
The Social Licence Register makes project commitments, community benefits and supporting evidence publicly accessible to everyone. Every project profile, commitment and source document remains free to view. Organisations that need to analyse, compare and work with the data at scale can license access through one of three access tiers.
Free and open to everyone.
The public record of renewable energy projects, commitments and publicly available information.
For councils, regional organisations, researchers and advisors.
Compare projects, track change over time, and download structured data for your own analysis.
For investors, financiers, governments and organisations operating across multiple regions.
Use the Register across portfolios, programs and investment decisions.
The public record is always free. Community groups, not-for-profits and educational users may receive Professional access on request. Commercial and advisory organisations are licensed by quote.
Licences are tailored to the number of Renewable Energy Zones covered, organisational use and access requirements.
Downloaded data is licensed to the organisation that receives it.
The Register is not licensed to renewable energy developers. Its value is its independence.
Councils participating in the pilot receive complimentary Professional access during the pilot period.
Participating councils can explore renewable energy commitments, community benefits, workforce impacts and project activity across their area through a single, independent record.
During the pilot, the Register brings together project information from planning documents and other publicly available sources and the benefit-sharing guideline that applied at the time of approval, so councils can access a consistent, source-linked record of project information across their area.
Founding councils will also have the opportunity to shape future development of the Register and help establish a new standard of transparency across Renewable Energy Zones.
There is no cost to participate.
Get in touch about access, or email info@sociallicenceregister.com.au.
Tell us what you’re after and we’ll get back to you. The public record stays free for everyone — always.