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Supporting tomorrow’s leaders: SAMCo backs CQUniversity student on her path to healing and higher education
29 June 2025
Our work with communities
ENERGY. SHARED.
Stanwell is proud to be an active and engaged presence in the communities that host our energy assets and projects. We know that the future of energy requires not only vision, investment and expertise, but the support and participation of local communities. We believe in sharing benefits with our communities through information, opportunities and meaningful partnerships.
Read about our approach to community engagement here, and visit this page to find out about upcoming events and opportunities to meet us in person.
APPLY FOR A COMMUNITY GRANT
Apply through Smarty GrantsSharing Benefits
Stanwell offers grants to support the people and projects that matter to our host communities. From helping local schools and non-profits to funding community-led sustainability initiatives, we’re committed to creating positive outcomes where we operate.
We work closely with community leaders to understand local priorities and support initiatives that deliver genuine quality-of-life outcomes in Central and Southern Queensland.
In 2023–24, we invested $601,000 in 103 community-based projects.
Read more about our community grants here:
Stanwell welcomes grant applications that align with the following focus areas.
Sustainable communities (initiatives that improve environmental outcomes)
Connected communities (initiatives that focus on social connectivity)
Healthy communities (initiatives that enhance the well-being of community members)
Resilient communities (initiatives that drive long-term economic and social benefits)
Stanwell’s community grant programs are available for not-for-profit groups operating in communities who host or have a connection to Stanwell assets.
Broadly, there are three types of community benefit funding available:
Sponsorship programs (grants between $500 and $5,000): Open to communities closest to our assets, the Community Sponsorship Program provides support for events, activities and/or programs that make a genuine ‘quality of life’ contribution to the community.
Community Partnership Funds: The Tarong Community Partnership Fund and Stanwell Community Partnership Fund provide dedicated financial support to projects that are long-term, have a broad scope, and involve multiple parties or service multiple community needs. These funds focus on initiatives that improve the liveability of our host communities.
South Burnett Resilience Fund: The South Burnett Resilience Fund focuses on helping South Burnett community leaders to put long-term post-coal economic plans in place. Access to this fund is not currently available outside of the South Burnett region. Funding is the outcome of consultation with a cross section of identified local opinion leaders and aims to support projects that deliver long-term resilience and identified community needs.
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
Stanwell Power Station Community Partnership Fund
Opening on Tuesday 1 April and Closing Sunday 11 May 2025
Community Sponsorship Program – Central Qld
Open year round
SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND
Tarong Community Partnership Fund
Current round closed Friday 28 February 2025
Community Sponsorship Program – Southern Qld
Open year round
South Burnett Community Resilience Fund
Open year round
Wambo Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund
Closed 16 September 2024
Please reach out to our Stakeholder Engagement team at sponsorship@stanwell.com to discuss how our sponsorship and grants program could support your project.
Stanwell accepts applications for our funds through Smarty Grants, an external platform which has been developed specifically for grant makers.
To support you in preparing an application, please download our application guides here:
Stanwell’s community sponsorship programs are evaluated against criteria that consider the feasibility and sustainability of the project or initiative, the project’s impact, and the organisation's capacity to carry out the project successfully.
Stanwell’s community partnership funds are evaluated by a community fund panel, comprised of four community representatives and a Stanwell leader.
Allow 4 weeks for your application to be evaluated.
HOW WE ENGAGE:
Around each of our projects and sites, we set up different ways to engage and get involved. Read about our latest engagements in our community newsletters.
We identify and engage with impacted stakeholders in the planning stages of a project. The timing and method of the engagement is dependent on the type and scale of the project.
Stanwell’s Stakeholder Engagement team is responsible for understanding stakeholder concerns and expectations and exploring opportunities to deliver benefits to the community. This understanding is built using various engagement methods, including face-to-face meetings, stakeholder surveys, drop-in sessions, and community forums.
Often, Stanwell will become involved in a project that is in the late phase of development or even construction. In these instances, where community consultation has already been completed, it is important for Stanwell to undertake our own community analysis. This may involve conversations with key community stakeholders, such as Traditional Custodians, landholders and the local council, and business and industry groups.
Our energy projects often impact neighboring landholders. By focusing on minimising impacts and fostering long-term and positive relationships, we aim to ensure that our projects are mutually beneficial and supportive of landholders' interests.
We recognise that meaningful partnerships with First Nations people and Traditional Owners are essential to delivering respectful, responsible and enduring outcomes as we secure energy for the future. Our approach is built on listening, learning and acting with purpose.
First Nations Engagement Advisors are embedded within our stakeholder engagement teams, providing guidance to ensure that our projects consider the unique perspectives, rights and interests of First Nations communities.
Stanwell is focused on maturing its approach to First Nations engagement to ensure the shift to renewable energy delivers meaningful outcomes for First Nations people.
Once a project moves into construction or operations, our engagement becomes more frequent and focused. We provide updates, listen to feedback, and share community input with our development and operational teams.
This includes face-to-face meetings, community forums and an ongoing local presence. Our engagements are shared on this website and our social media platforms .
Providing local businesses with opportunities is an ongoing activity. We engage with local chambers of commerce, business associations and industry bodies to share opportunities and connect them with Stanwell’s supplier network. Click here to register as a local service provider.
As a Government Owned Corporation, we have regular engagements with our shareholders at State level as well as with the key councillors and departments at local and district level, providing feedback on community sentiment, issues and proposals.
LOCAL PROCUREMENT
Visit our "Doing Business with us" page and register your local business with us. We are here to help and support local businesses to share in the benefits of the energy transformation.
In 2023-4 $96 million was spent with local businesses in our host communities.
Doing business with us
OUR PRINCIPLES OF ENGAGEMENT
When working with our communities we apply our values: We Care. We Adapt. We Deliver. Guided by research and feedback we work to ensure our assets and projects sustain and create jobs and investment for regional Queensland - guided by lo voices, choices and benefits from locals.
LOCAL VOICES
We support genuine, ongoing engagement with the communities where we operate. Our approach is inclusive and collaborative, focused on creating shared value as we continue to diversify our portfolio.
We are committed to engaging, valuing and involving First Nations people, recognising their enduring connection to Country and supporting opportunities for active participation and economic benefit.
LOCAL CHOICES
We work with communities to build local capacity and unlock the benefits of the shift to renewable energy. This includes enabling diverse land use, strengthening regional economies and supporting coexistence between industries where possible.
We also support environmental resilience and contribute to biodiversity outcomes and emissions reduction goals.
LOCAL BENEFITS
We are committed to sharing long-term benefits with communities – including social, environmental and economic opportunities.
This includes expanding workforce participation through training and secure employment pathways, and supporting local industry through increased procurement, manufacturing and supply chain activity.
Ever wondered what goes into bringing a new energy project to life?
Explore the six typical stages and timelines to take a project from an idea to construction and the importance of community engagement in this process.
ENERGY PROJECT PLANNING STAGES
Stage 1: Site Selection
There are many organisations actively looking for good sites for new renewable projects across Queensland.
In this pre-development phase, initial technical work is undertaken by developers to confirm the quality of the renewable energy resource, identify factors that might impact a project and to seek out appropriate locations for energy infrastructure.
This phase can take place over many months or even years, and may not result in an actual project outcome.
Securing development land is the first important step in any renewable project.
Stage 2: Land Option
Once a prospective site for a project is identified, project developers approach land owners to enter into an option for that land.
This is also the stage where Traditional Owners of the land would be engaged.
Following negotiations, a legal land option would typically be entered into with the land owners and an agreement with Traditional Owners.
This can take a few months to complete. A land option does not mean the project will necessarily go ahead.
Stage 3: Project Feasibility
This is the stage where initial investment begins, and technical assessments and project designs are carried out.
During this phase, applications for planning and environmental approvals are prepared. In some cases, cultural heritage management plans are also negotiated and agreed with Traditional Owners.
This stage typically involves early engagement with councils, stakeholders and local communities near the proposed project site, and may take up to a year to complete.
Stage 4: Development Approval application
Once the relevant technical assessments and designs are completed, the applications for planning approval ('development approval' or DA) and environmental approval are submitted. Depending on the location, some projects need to obtain federal environmental under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act ('EPBC approval') as well as approval for vegetation clearing from the relevant state agencies.
An important aspect of the development approval phase is to engage with the local council, neighbours and suppliers to consult on how the benefits of the project will be shared with the local community, and strategies the project will adopt to manage the environmental impacts, traffic impacts and other disruptions that will occur particularly during the construction phase of the project.
The approval process can take around six months, and is still not a guarantee that the project will go ahead.
Stage 5: Connection Agreement
The grid connection process is a crucial and complex stage in any energy project. A great deal of behind-the-scenes work happens here.
Apart from the connection agreement, detailed design, commercial and legal work to inform the Financial Investment Decision (FID) is undertaken and the project developer may look for a partner to off-take the energy that will be produced from the project.
This stage can take around a year to complete after development approval is received.
Stage 6: Financial Investment Decision (FID)
This is sometimes called ‘Financial Close', where the project has the required approvals, a grid connection and necessary funding in place and a decision is made to proceed with construction.
To secure funding, project proponents may enter into joint venture agreements, or sell their project to another developer to take it through the construction and commissioning phases.
A typical project planning lifecycle is three to four years from start to finish - although it is not unusual to take longer.
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