Upfront land-use planning and coordinated community consultation are central to Renewable Energy Zones and will help ensure a strategic approach to electricity infrastructure development. EnergyCo work on the ground with communities and collaborate with a range of NSW Government entities and other parties to get the most up-to-date data layers and undertake strategic land-use planning when preparing to declare a REZ.

The collaboration between Spatial Media and EnergyCo resulted in a highly impactful outcome as an interactive map with toggleable data layers to allow users to easily find what is of relevance to them. This innovative tool allows the community to actively engage with the different EnergyCo initiatives and provides them with a clear geospatial representation of projects alongside their status, developer and associated information. As REZs are declared, this map is updated to reflect the final geographical areas and as projects evolve the data is updated to reflect changes.

The positive feedback received from the community further validated the effectiveness of the interactive map in facilitating dialogue, enhancing understanding, and building trust between EnergyCo and the community during the planning process for the renewable energy zones.