Community Benefit Fund:
A Community Benefit Fund will give back to the community in a tangible, long-term way. Once Sapphire Wind Farm is built and energy is being generated, more than $3.75 million will be invested within community projects over the 20-year life of the wind farm (approximately $187,500 per annum).
How We Do It
Our projects aim to deliver long-term positive impact for the communities around them, and we always partner with the local stakeholders to ensure this objective. Transparency and engagement are critical to our success; getting the community on-board and excited about decarbonizing their towns and cities, and helping them build infrastructure which will benefit them well into the future.
As a result of our cooperation with our local communities, we have been awarded multiple awards for community engagement.
We make renewable energy accessible and affordable to communities, while engaging in strong community programs
CWP works closely with the local communities within which we are active. This include landowners, community members, advocacy groups, Councils and local business owners.
Our aims are to:
- Establish a strong network of positive, long-term relationships within the communities in which we work
- Stay attuned and respond to community needs wherever possible
- Contribute to community growth – creating value and opportunity
- Demonstrate an ongoing commitment across the life of the asset
- Ultimately make renewable energy accessible to more communities across the world.
How do we do this?
Most of all, we think global and long-term, but act local and always consider our everyday impacts.
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Project initiatives
Our community consultation and engagement programs incorporate initiatives such as:
Our aims are to:
- Community consultative committees: to build strong working relationships between the project and the community and to provide a forum for open discussion and information sharing.
- Community benefit funds: to support local community projects and initiatives to enhance quality of life and wellbeing.
- Community Investment opportunities, such as the unique initiative developed in the Sapphire Wind Farm community.
In Australia, we pride ourselves on our collaborative engagement with Traditional Owners. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land and pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge the important role of the Aboriginal People within the communities we work with. We actively partner with Traditional Owners’ representatives and are committed to bringing particular opportunities for the community to develop new skills, jobs and revenue, which will provide comprehensive and enduring community benefits.
Quick Facts: Our Project Communities
Sapphire Wind Farm
Legacy Projects:
It’s about the legacy you leave. We are providing a clean energy alternative that will benefit generations to come. But that’s not enough. We want to contribute to the local communities that have made our wind farm possible: leaving a material legacy that makes a difference to everyday life for years to come.
We are working hand-in-hand to develop and deliver a series of longer-term, legacy projects that will span the life of Sapphire Wind Farm. Along with our contractors, we’re planning to co-fund and co-deliver a series of community projects in areas like construction and education.
Community Investment:
After consulting extensively with the community around the Sapphire Wind Farm, we received overwhelming interest in community investment into the project. So far, over $6.5 million of community investment pledges have been received. On that basis, we have committed to implementation of a large scale community investment scheme for the Sapphire Wind Farm, which will be an Australian first.
Crudine Ridge Wind Farm
The project commenced construction in May 2018 and will create over 75 jobs during construction. The wind farm will be fully commissioned in 2019 and will contribute over $168,000 to community benefits annually throughout operations.