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Effective Public Engagement in Clean Energy Project Development. Harvesting Clean Energy Conference October 23, 2011. One Company, Many Capabilities. RES Americas develops , constructs , owns and operates renewable energy projects throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
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Effective Public Engagement in Clean Energy Project Development Harvesting Clean Energy Conference October 23, 2011
One Company, Many Capabilities RES Americas develops, constructs, owns and operates renewable energy projects throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. As of 1997, RES Americas has constructed or has under construction over 5,400 MW and has successfully developed more than 2,200 MW of renewable energy projects in the United States and Canada. The Company currently has a development portfolio of more than 9,000 MW and ownership of 226 MW of projects in operations. RES Americas has developed and/or constructed more than 10% of the operating wind projects in the United States.
6 Critical Steps to Successful Development • Resource assessment • A minor difference in resource can make a major difference in project value/power price • Transmission and interconnection • Transmission service and interconnection are not the same thing • Land control • Long-term lease or Right of Way • Permits • Expect more permits and more time than you think is needed • Power sale • Particularly challenging in today’s market • Financing • Can’t get it without the first 5 steps completed
Thinking you can ace a test without completing your homework • Making assumptions about people, including: • Opinions about the project • Knowledge of clean energy or the development process • Values and priorities • No local presence • Not knowing the facts • Deliberately hiding information • Failure to accept differences of opinion • Lack of informational materials and/or inconsistent information • Lack of face-to-face contact • Targeting the wrong audience Public Engagement Pitfalls
Public Engagement Successes • Start smart: conduct due diligence on your own project • Identify all of the critical decision points and decision makers • Identify who and what influences decision makers • Develop clearly defined strategy, goals and timelines • Identify supporters, opponents and undecideds • Focus on engaging supporters • Seek to minimize vs. expect to neutralize opponents • Take the time to meet people • Be honest • Be open to negotiation and/or a change of plans, but know your boundaries first
Contact information Suzanne Leta Liou Development Manager 503-219-9000 x4 suzanne.liou@res-americas.com www.res-americas.com