A new partnership harnessing the industry expertise of the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) and Australia’s first landowner aligned renewable energy platform will further assist Queensland landholders make informed decisions about renewable energy projects on their property.
RELA provides landowners with the knowledge and support they need to independently assess the opportunities for their farming enterprise to continue what they do best as primary producers while also securing a secondary income source as part of the renewable energy transition.
The RELA platform assists landowners by helping them to understand the viability of hosting a renewable energy project, and if they wish to proceed, connects them with developers through a transparent, fair and efficient process for both parties to ensure fair and equitable lease agreements.
The partnership with RELA builds on QFF’s previous work developing the Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit to assist and inform landowners as they respond to and negotiate with energy industry representatives about accessing land and developing renewable energy projects.
QFF CEO Jo Sheppard said renewable energy is a rapidly evolving landscape for Queensland and its important landholders are supported to make informed decisions that deliver the best outcomes for their farming enterprise.
“Last year, QFF launched the Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit as we saw a gap in the market for landholders to access information and guidance that would allow them to make informed decisions about their land,” Ms Sheppard said.
“There is much for a landholder to consider before entering into an agreement and RELA offers that next step of support by actively walking alongside landowners as they assess the viability and potentially progress into an agreement for a renewable energy project on their land, providing an additional layer of confidence and protection, while always having the landowner’s best interests at the forefront.
“I would recommend landholders who are considering hosting renewable energy infrastructure on their farm, to firstly read the QFF Landholder toolkit and secondly have a conversation with RELA, before making a decision.
“With competing land use requirements intensifying across the state, it’s never been more important that careful land use planning and informed decision-making take place.”
RELA CEO Michael Katz said the QFF and RELA partnership is dedicated to empowering landowners in the renewable energy transition by leveraging the strengths of both organisations.
“With QFF’s deep connection to rural communities, RELA is committed to helping landowners secure equitable outcomes as they participate in renewable energy projects on their land, optimising the coexistence of food and energy production,” Mr Katz said.
“Through shared platforms, both organisations will actively advocate for landowner success in this evolving landscape.”
For more information about RELA, visit www.rela.com.au
To view the QFF Queensland Renewable Energy Landholder Toolkit, visit www.qff.org.au/projects/renewable-energy-landholder-toolkit/
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Media contact:
For further information, or to speak with QFF or RELA, please contact:
Anna Jones
Corporate Partnerships and Communications Manager, QFF
E: partnerships@qff.org.au
P: 0481 395 623