POWERING OUR COMMUNITIES
Benefiting Communities
Benefiting Communities through New Energy Pathways
Real Stories of Local Benefits
Across Australia, new electricity pathway projects are bringing real benefits to local communities. From job creation and business growth to genuine community consultation that ensures local voices are heard, these projects are making a difference.
Explore firsthand experiences that showcase how communities are shaping, and benefiting from, these initiatives.
Keeping Merriwa Connected
The Merriwa microgrid is about more than electricity. It is about helping a regional community stay connected during outages by keeping important local services available, including shops, fuel and community support spaces when they are needed most.
"We've had one instance where we've lost power and the Microgrid has cut in, which meant that the stores in the main street could keep operating."
Find out more about Ausgrid’s Merriwa Microgrid.
Transmission projects supporting local businesses
The building of Australia’s largest transmission project has provided a major economic boost to regional NSW, with a ‘buy local’ approach providing hundreds of millions of dollars in supply contracts to local businesses.
“The EnergyConnect project for us was really exciting to be a part of because obviously a project of that scale doesn’t come to the region very often,” Director Wayne Green said.
“To know that we had that volume of work to do allowed us to reinvest in the business. We were able to buy some more machinery, put some more people on and really increase our output.”
The nation-critical EnergyConnect project will increase renewable energy sharing between NSW, Victoria and South Australia, providing access to lower-cost wholesale energy, and improving reliability and security of supply for households and businesses before NSW’s coal-fired power stations retire.
Early consultation is the right way to build new energy.
Building new energy pathways is essential to keeping the lights on and managing energy costs. There’s no transition without transmission, and landowners play a key role in making it happen by hosting critical infrastructure on their properties.
That process starts with genuine consultation – connecting with landowners and communities to ensure the best outcomes for them.
Property owners like Sam Stizza from Wentworth, NSW, are actively shaping Australia’s energy future by working with planners to find the right solutions, as he did with EnergyConnect.
“I met the people from the company,” Sam said of Transgrid.
“They’ve been very good to us, they’ve been very informative, they’ve kept us up to date,”
By engaging early and listening to those on the ground, we can build the energy superhighway the right way – working with communities to power Australia’s future.
New energy connections mean business!
Major electricity pathway projects mean business for local communities. It’s everything from bolts and hardware, to more customers for local cafes and restaurants.
Just ask Wombat Cafe worker, Brett
"It’s really good for the community … and it’s brilliant for our [business]."
Together, we’re building stronger, more resilient communities with new energy.
Driving statewide job growth in regional and metro South Australia
South Australia’s energy transition is not just transforming the grid, it’s powering careers. With strong demand for skilled workers, full-time employment in the sector has shot up by 20%, rising from 2,386 in 2022 to 2,877 in early 2025.
Regional communities have seen some of the biggest gains, with a 37% increase in full-time jobs, growing from 360 to 493. Metro areas have also expanded, with full-time employment reaching 2,384, up from 2,026 in 2022.
Jack Thompson, a 23-year-old electrical technician from Robertstown, didn’t expect to find a solid career in his hometown. But after starting as an apprentice in 2022 he’s now working full-time in the energy sector, building the state’s future while staying close to his family and friends.
“I figured I’d have to move to the city for work, but this job came up, and it’s been a game changer. I never thought I’d have this kind of career opportunity in my hometown.”
“I started as an apprentice, learned on the job, and now I’m part of a team helping to keep the lights on. It’s not just a job, it’s a career I can actually see myself growing in, right here in SA.”
The industry continues to invest in future talent, hiring at least 50 apprentices each year since 2022, with 14 already onboarded in 2025.
The energy sector is also driving inclusivity. The number of female full-time employees has jumped 31% since 2022, now sitting at 560, highlighting the industry’s commitment to gender equality and female representation across South Australia’s workforce.
This sustained job growth and opportunity highlights how South Australia’s energy transition is benefiting individuals at all career stages, and delivering economic benefits in the city and regionally.
