Maintaining Stakeholder Trust Through a Project Ownership Transition
Access NEP helped preserve stakeholder trust and maintain relationships with local townships and agencies as a solar project transitioned to new ownership.
Overview
Large-scale energy projects do not always stay with the same developer from beginning to end. One company may secure land rights, another may move the project through permitting and local approvals, and yet another may ultimately take it through construction.
On a recent large-scale solar project, the Access NEP team supported a client through the permitting and community engagement phase. Over the course of that work, the team developed relationships with local townships and agencies involved in the project.
When the project was later sold to a new owner preparing to move it toward construction, those existing relationships became an important source of continuity during the transition.
The Challenge
A change in project ownership can create uncertainty for the local stakeholders who have spent months or years working with a particular developer and project team.
Township officials, agency representatives, and community members may have become familiar with the people involved, how they communicate, and how they respond to questions and concerns. When a new owner takes over, stakeholders may wonder what will change, who they will deal with, and whether previous commitments will continue to be respected.
The Approach
Maintaining continuity and trust was important as the project moved from one owner to another. Because the Access team had already worked with local townships and agencies during permitting and community engagement, we understood the history behind those relationships as well as the issues and conversations that had contributed to the project to that point.
The incoming owner asked us to stay involved as the project moved into the next phase. Local stakeholders could continue working with people they already knew, while the new owner had a team familiar with the project and the communities involved.
The Outcome
The relationships built during the permitting and community engagement phase remained valuable as the project changed hands and moved toward construction.
Even though the project ownership changed, local stakeholders could continue interacting with familiar people who understood the project and its history. At the same time, the new owner could work with a team that already had established relationships with the townships and agencies involved.
The Takeaway
Project ownership, contractors, and responsibilities can change several times over the lifecycle of a large energy project. The people local stakeholders have come to know do not necessarily need to change with them.
Communities and agencies often build familiarity and trust through repeated interactions with individuals, not simply with the company name attached to a project. Maintaining some continuity in those relationships can help preserve project knowledge, stakeholder familiarity, and trust as a project moves from one phase and owner to the next.
