Palmer Wind Farm – Community Benefits and Engagement

The Capacity Investment Scheme is an Australian Government scheme that provides long term revenue security and decreases financial risk for renewable energy projects.

The competitive tender process required Tilt Renewables to demonstrate how we will provide best practice social and economic benefits for local communities, First Nations people, and Australian industries.

Being awarded the Capacity Investment Scheme shows that the Palmer Wind Farm is a great project that will create benefits for the environment and community.

The Palmer Wind Farm achieved this by committing:

• $627.5 million to local content and employment, including First Nations economic participation and training. This includes goods, services and labour procured from Australia and New Zealand.
• $10.4 million in community and First Nations benefits

These funds will be spent over the life of the project (32 years).

We have a broader community benefit budget of approximately $226,000 per year for the duration of the wind farm. Across construction and 30 years of operation, this will amount to over 7 million dollars for the local community. We will provide additional funding for First Nation initiatives.

In 2024 and 2025 we have undertook engagement activities to better understand community priorities. These included two surveys for all community members and two workshops with representatives from community and progress associations, Councilors and Members of Parliament.

Engagement identified the following priorities for how to spend the community benefit funding:

• Providing energy subsidies to those closest to the project.
• Improving connectivity via a new free local bus service to improve mental and physical health.
• A community fund that will distribute money to community projects each year.
• Supporting adult learners with further education opportunities.

In 2013 a Neighbour Benefit Scheme was established for the Palmer Wind Farm. Neighbours with a dwelling within 2 km or a property boundary within 1km of a turbine, will be eligible for an annual payment of $3,500 (was previously $2,500 but has been increased due to CPI), plus an extra $100 for every extra turbine.

The purpose of the scheme is to share financial benefits with close neighbours. It was established in response to early feedback about sharing the financial benefits beyond the host landholders. People will continue to be eligible to sign up for the scheme until the wind farm is in operations.

Tilt Renewables has established agreements with the relevant representative groups for the Peramangk People. We continue to actively work with the Peramangk people throughout the development and delivery of the project.

The project has established several initiatives to support Peramangk and First Nations people throughout the project:

• A First Nations Training and Capacity Building Fund to develop a First Nations job-ready workforce for the energy and construction sectors, $200,000 annually over 5 years (Total: $1,000,000).
• SA Aboriginal Building and Civil Construction Academy Sponsorship, $25,000 annually over 2 years (Total: $50,000).
• Comprehensive commitment to subcontracting, employment, training, and support for First Nations people during construction, $5.8 million annually over 2 years (Total: $11.6 million).
• Annual Peramangk Partnership Fund to share project benefits with the Peramangk people through a co-designed, community-administered fund, $75,600 annually (+CPI) over 32 years (Total: $2.34 million).

The project has committed to spending at least $627.5 million on local content and employment in construction. Local includes Australia and New Zealand.

Typical goods and services likely to be sourced locally during construction and operations include accommodation, engineering, freight services, construction materials and equipment, local labour, technical contractors, earth works services, fencing and landscaping.

The types of jobs typically created during construction include:

• Domestic scale electricians
• Transport operators
• Competent machine operators
• General labourers
• Quarrying staff
• Concrete suppliers
• Accommodation providers