Community
We understand we have long-term responsibilities in the communities where our projects are located.
We work in collaboration with community leaders and other stakeholders to deliver renewable energy projects safely.
Every project and community is unique, and our team engages with the community to create projects that are an investment in the people and infrastructure of the communities.
We create custom-made community programs to meet local needs with the goal to have a lasting positive impact.
Ooralla: A collection of stories from First Nations
A short documentary film capturing Aboriginal cultural values of the Ooralla region along with cultural items identified where the New England Solar and Battery project is located has been produced and provided to the Armidale and Region Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place. The film captures stories from Aboriginal representatives and was produced to share knowledge and raise awareness of Aboriginal cultural values in the region.
The region is known as Ooralla by local Aboriginal people, a place where they came from surrounding areas to meet, trade items and take part in ceremonial practices. The film itself centres on a significant grinding groove site that was identified as part of field surveys around four years ago as part of the assessment and approvals for the solar and battery project. It is believed Aboriginal people gathered at the site to learn, celebrate events and trade. Work is now taking place to establish access tracks to the Grinding Groove site so that Aboriginal groups can access the site once the solar project is operational from next year.
Environment
We believe in providing renewable energy to power our world in a sustainable manner to minimise impacts on the environment.
We take our environmental responsibilities seriously and are committed to complying with local standards and the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability.
We strive to improve the environmental performance of every project that we construct.
We are a signatory to the Clean Energy Council’s Best Practice Charter for Renewable Energy Developments and are serious about the commitments made in terms of the standards we will uphold in the development of current and new clean energy projects.
Health and Safety
We are committed to a target of zero harm in all our business undertakings. To achieve this target, we will:
- Understand and manage health and safety risks associated with all our activities,
- Provide resources and opportunities for our personnel to acquire the skill and equipment necessary to perform their work safely,
- Develop and foster a culture which values the health and safety of all personnel engaged in our activities,
- Identify and implement opportunities for continual improvement in our approach to health and safety management,
- Support the health and safety of our personnel both on and off the job,
- Report annually to all stakeholders on our progress toward our health and safety goal.