ID: 1684
Presenting Author: Zanthea Chulio
Session: 550 - (Re)building trust and transparency to navigate complex energy transitions
Status: pending
A timely and transferable case study on how battery storage projects can gain social licence through early engagement, community benefit funds, and materiality-based assessment frameworks.
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are essential to achieving energy security and decarbonisation targets—yet the social dimensions of these projects remain largely unaddressed in formal impact assessment frameworks. This presentation fills that critical gap by presenting a replicable model for early engagement, social risk mitigation, and shared value creation tailored to battery infrastructure.
Drawing on the Bremer Battery Storage Project in Queensland, Australia, the case study illustrates how early, inclusive and community-led engagement enabled social licence in a high-stakes, fast-moving infrastructure context. Through face-to-face meetings, community partnerships, targeted outreach and transparent communication, the project addressed key material concerns: noise, fire risk, visual amenity, land use, and property values.
The initiative also delivered an innovative Community Benefit Fund model, drawing inspiration from Alaska’s oil dividends and aligned with Queensland Government’s 2025 CBA Guidance. Designed with place-based governance, it repositions battery infrastructure as a long-term community asset—not just technical hardware.
This session speaks to IAIA 2026’s theme of transformative impact practice, offering a field-tested approach that integrates ESG, trust-building, and energy justice principles into clean energy infrastructure. It offers a timely, transferable roadmap for battery projects globally.
Zanthea Chulio is a social impact strategist and speaker, leading community engagement for the Bremer Battery Storage Project and advocating shared value in Australia’s clean energy transition.