A successful planning process requires effective coordination and collaboration among various stakeholders, including regional authorities, local governments, utilities, businesses, and community organizations. This stage outlines the stakeholder engagement process, including identifying key stakeholders and developing a stakeholder engagement plan.
In this step, planners should identify key stakeholders to be involved in the regional energy planning process. Stakeholders can include, amongst other, energy agencies, utilities, businesses, industry, local authorities, community organizations, environmental groups, energy experts, and citizens. Identifying stakeholders and understanding their priorities, interests, strengths, limitations, influence, and potential impact is essential for ensuring that the regional energy plan addresses local and regional needs and empowers all relevant parties to actively contribute to the regions just energy transition.
To achieve this, planners can conduct stakeholder mapping exercises/analysis, hold informal meetings, or organize workshops or focus group discussions. This will help develop a comprehensive understanding of the diverse perspectives, needs and expectations of the stakeholders involved in the planning process, whilst at the same time enable the establishment of a participatory energy planning process.
Stakeholder Identification and Analysis Tool
This Excel template can help planners systematically identify and analyse key stakeholders within the regional energy planning process. The template can be used to collate stakeholder names, roles, interests, relevance, influence, and potential impact in the energy transition. This tool can support planners in better understanding and engaging stakeholders.
Stakeholder Identification and Analysis Tool Download
Once key stakeholders have been identified and their relevance, influence and impact are understood, planners should develop a stakeholder engagement plan. This plan should outline how stakeholders will be involved throughout the planning process, as well as the tools that will be used and the timing and frequency of engagement activities. In particular, the stakeholder engagement plan should be designed to:
Ensure the transparent, inclusive, and meaningful participation of all relevant stakeholders, including marginalized and underrepresented groups
Facilitate an open and constructive dialogue among stakeholders, fostering trust and cooperation
Provide opportunities for stakeholders to influence decision-making and shape the regional energy plan
Communicate the progress and outcomes of the planning process to stakeholders, maintaining their interest and support throughout the planning but also the implementation phase.
Some possible engagement methods include workshops, focus groups, public consultations, surveys, online platforms, and social media. The choice of method will depend on the specific context, objectives, and resources available for the planning process.
Stakeholder Engagement Plan Template
This template can guide planners in developing a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan that outlines the objectives, methods, timelines, and resources required for engaging stakeholders throughout the planning process. The template can incorporate stakeholder analysis, and the development of communication strategies, engagement activities, and evaluation measures, ensuring that stakeholder engagement efforts are well-planned and effective. The outcomes emerged by the use of the Stakeholder Identification and Analysis Tool (step 2.1) are facilitated to feed parts of this template as well.