Early conversations, local knowledge and lasting community benefits were central to the messages Central Queensland Power (CQP) brought to the Queensland Community Energy Forum in Calliope on Wednesday 4 November 2026.
Hosted by Coexistence Queensland in partnership with the Queensland Government and Gladstone Regional Council, the forum brought together community, industry and government representatives to discuss energy and resources projects across the Gladstone region.
Alongside CQP’s exhibition presence, Development Project Manager Lachlan Mitchell represented CQP on the “Local energy development” panel. Facilitated by Marcus Rees, from the Queensland Renewable Energy Council, the session brought together representatives from CQP, Powerlink Queensland, European Energy Australia and MWS Risk to discuss local energy development in the Gladstone region.
CQP engaged with more than 50 people at the event.
Discussions from the day included:
Meaningful community engagement needs to begin early, while there is still an opportunity for local feedback to shape a project, and continue throughout its life.
For CQP, this means listening to community members and local organisations, understanding what matters to them, and using that feedback to inform our approach. Engagement is an ongoing conversation, rather than a one-off step in the development process.
Social impact assessments are most useful when they reflect the experiences, concerns and priorities of the people who live and work near a project. They should do more than identify potential impacts. They should help guide how those impacts are managed alongside the community and how project benefits can be shared in ways that respond to local needs. Community input is essential to both.
Biosecurity is another area where early and ongoing conversations with landholders matter. Understanding local risks and expectations helps make biosecurity part of everyday project planning and activity, rather than an afterthought.
Our goal is for biosecurity to become a business-as-usual mindset for our people and contractors, alongside health and safety. That focus needs to continue throughout the project’s life.
Renewable energy projects such as Wooderson Solar Farm offer significant opportunities for local businesses and suppliers. Turning that potential into meaningful participation requires attention to how work is packaged and made accessible to businesses with local expertise.
There is also an opportunity to better align local business participation across projects. The challenge is not simply to identify opportunities, but to help ensure local suppliers are well placed to tender for them.
The forum was an opportunity to bring these priorities into a shared regional conversation. For Wooderson Solar Farm, the focus remains on listening, being guided by community feedback and keeping that dialogue going as the project progresses.
CQP staff at the exhibition
Presentations at the event
Lachlan Mitchell presenting during the panel discussion about local energy development