Community engagement
During AGL's involvement in the construction of the Broken Hill Solar Plant, we committed to keeping the community in the loop at every stage. We continue to hold regular engagement sessions, and keep the community informed through regular advertisements, other updates and more – listening and responding to locals' concerns and questions.
We also actively supported local community groups through ongoing sponsorships and partnership, financial and in-kind support to a range of initiatives, projects and events – in areas including health, social welfare, safety, environment, education, youth, sport, recreation, culture, arts and economic development.
You can review our direct involvement with the local community including archived agendas, minutes and presentations from the Community Consultative Committee (CCC) on our Documents page.
Broken Hill Solar Plant Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan (PDF)
Jobs and industry
During the construction period, up to 150 construction jobs were generated in Broken Hill. First Solar sourced as many of these jobs from the Broken Hill community and surrounding area as possible. They also maximised local and regional content in plant procurement and construction through sourcing local materials.
Local opportunities provided during plant construction included:
- civil engineering and site preparation
- post, racking, and module installation
- high voltage power system works
- communications and monitoring system works
- construction and supervision roles
- administration and construction support roles.
Local workers were trained in solar plant construction, high voltage power system construction, and construction management support and logistics. The project engaged a broad range of participants on solar construction methods, local planning issues and solar plant performance.