The Australian Government has opened a new Developer Rating Scheme for renewable energy developers and transmission companies, allowing businesses to begin assessments through direct engagement with Equifax, which has been appointed as the independent operator.
The scheme formally opened to industry on 6 March 2026 following an establishment phase that began in August 2025. Participation is voluntary, with companies responsible for covering assessment costs.
It applies across renewable generation, energy storage and major transmission infrastructure, with the stated aim of improving how developers engage with communities and landholders.
A framework built on seven criteria
The assessment process is structured around a seven-part framework that examines community engagement, conduct, character, capability, capacity, capital and counterparty relationships.
This approach is designed to provide what the scheme describes as a data driven, holistic view of each business, combining performance history with financial and operational capacity.
The framework also considers governance practices, operational safety and the experience of management teams, alongside a company’s ability to meet financial obligations to landholders over the life of a project.
Public register to inform early decisions
A central feature of the scheme is a public register that will be free to access and open to all users. Only businesses that meet minimum thresholds across all seven criteria will be listed.
Accredited developers will receive a star rating tied to their community engagement performance, allowing landholders, councils and local communities to review profiles before projects begin.
The register is positioned as a tool to support more informed decision making at the outset of project discussions, rather than after planning processes are underway.
Linking behaviour to project delivery
According to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the scheme is intended to strengthen accountability and improve confidence in how projects are delivered.
The department notes that clearer expectations around conduct and capability are expected to support responsible developer behaviour, improve community acceptance and reduce delivery risks.
Businesses that participate can use the rating process to demonstrate their approach to community engagement and governance, while also receiving structured feedback on areas for improvement.
The scheme has also been designed to accommodate a range of technologies and business models, reflecting the diversity of projects being proposed across the energy system.
Developed through sector consultation
The framework has been informed by consultation with state and territory governments, local councils, landholders, community organisations, industry bodies and developers.
It also responds directly to recommendations made in the 2023 Community Engagement Review led by former Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner Andrew Dyer. The Australian Government agreed, or agreed in principle, with all nine recommendations from that review.
The introduction of a standardised rating approach reflects those findings, particularly the need for clearer benchmarks around how developers engage with communities.
A tool emerging alongside project pipelines
The scheme is being introduced at a time when renewable generation, storage and transmission projects are expanding across regions, including in designated renewable energy zones.
By placing verified information about developers in the public domain, the model shifts part of the assessment process earlier, before formal approvals and construction begin.
In the Hunter, where multiple projects are progressing or proposed, the availability of independent ratings can inform how landholders and local businesses weigh long term project relationships and assess which proponents they are willing to work with.
