EnergyCo Community Strategic Investment framework

The Challenge

EnergyCo NSW is responsible for delivering Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) across New South Wales, coordinating energy infrastructure while ensuring regional communities share in the benefits of the transition to renewables. A key mechanism for this is the reinvestment of access scheme fees paid by energy proponents. To make this work in practice, EnergyCo needed to develop a new investment strategy from the ground up, one that was transparent, locally meaningful, and aligned with government expectations. The challenge was complex: there was no direct precedent, and the strategy had to balance financial accountability, community priorities, and statutory obligations. It also needed to navigate tensions between equity and efficiency, regional consistency and local flexibility, and long-term resilience and short-term visibility. Above all, it had to clearly define how EnergyCo would make investment decisions that delivered real, measurable benefits for communities within REZs.

The Action

Polis Partners was engaged to design the full investment strategy framework. This included:

• clear investment principles and assessment criteria
• defined project eligibility and evaluation mechanisms
• governance structures outlining internal and external roles
• staged delivery options, such as pilot programs and rolling funding rounds
• consultation pathways with regional stakeholders
• transparent evaluation and reporting processes.

The strategy was co-designed with EnergyCo staff and key NSW Government stakeholders to ensure it aligned with broader regional development goals and Treasury requirements.

The Results

The final strategy has provided EnergyCo a clear and credible roadmap for investing access scheme fees in ways that are fair, transparent, and responsive to community needs. It equipped the agency to engage confidently with stakeholders, informed Cabinet and inter-agency briefings, and laid the groundwork for piloting investment rounds. The strategy now serves as a cornerstone of EnergyCo’s long-term approach to delivering community benefit as part of the state’s renewable energy transition.