The New South Wales Energy and Water Ombudsman has been allocated $1.3 million (USD 870,000) in grant funding from the NSW government to move into dispute resolution pertaining to renewable energy projects and infrastructure.
The introduction of renewable energy related Ombudsman, which operate independent to government and industry, was one of the key recommendations from a formal Community Engagement Review into the renewable energy industries in Australia. The federal government-commissioned report, led by Australia’s energy infrastructure commissioner Andrew Dyer, was made public in February 2024, and painted a rather stark picture of an industry underperforming when it comes to community engagement and complaints.

Image: Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water
In total, the Community Engagement Review made six recommendations, all of which were accepted by the federal government, though when exactly the recommended changes would be implemented wasn’t outlined at the time.
The state of New South Wales seems to moving ahead with the recommendation, noting in its statement that it is “the first time” the NSW Energy and Water Ombudsman will see to renewable energy related complaints.
The new role will see the NSW Ombudsman “provide impartial information and an external dispute resolution service to landholders and community members impacted by new major renewable energy transmission infrastructure and renewable energy infrastructure projects.”
Additionally, it will provide a ‘no wrong door’ referral service for residents, connecting them with the most appropriate channels to address their complaints where they fall outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.
“The service will also provide an investigation and resolution process for residents dissatisfied with how their complaints are handled by the relevant transmission and renewable energy entities,” the announcement noted.
Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW, Janine Young, said that the extension of these duties is not new territory for the independent agency. “We resolved more than 28,000 energy and water complaints last year… We already handle complaints about existing energy transmission and distribution infrastructure, so we’re well placed to expand into managing complaints and disputes regarding new network and renewable energy infrastructure projects.”
“The renewable energy sector is developing rapidly, and customers need a free and impartial Ombudsman scheme to help them navigate the energy transition,” Young added.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.