From indicators to action: How communities can shape clean energy planning
An adaptable assessment tool developed by Beyond Zero Emissions is helping local governments, industry groups and planners evaluate regional readiness for clean energy and industrial transformation—and they’re inviting others to shape it.
Independent think tank Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) is developing a practical tool to support the shift to clean energy and industry in Australia, and it's built with regional input at its core. The National Action Plan Regional Assessment Process is a framework designed to help regions understand how prepared they are to support clean industry projects.
Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, the assessment focuses on what’s actually happening on the ground. It considers five key areas: infrastructure, workforce and industry capability, local governance, community engagement, and financing. Each of these is broken down into measurable indicators—55 in total, grouped into 17 categories—to help regions identify what’s working, what’s missing, and what needs attention.
Version 1 of the tool, released in May 2025, includes 19 indicators. The remaining ones are still being developed in collaboration with regional and sector-specific partners. The approach is deliberately participatory, and BZE is seeking new contributors to help test, refine, and improve it.
“We’re building this together. We’re seeking partners with sectoral, regional, and technical expertise to help refine indicators, apply real-world testing, and share ideas for future improvements,” says BZE.
The Regional Assessment Process is part of BZE’s broader National Action Plan—a place-based, cross-sector approach that aims to help communities, industries and governments coordinate their efforts in clean energy and industrial development. The framework is intended to sit alongside federal and state planning by focusing on delivery-readiness at the local and regional level.
The risks of uncoordinated development—project delays, fragmented investment, and lost opportunities—are front of mind. BZE’s tool aims to support proactive planning so that infrastructure, policy and investment are better matched with workforce capability and community needs.
The framework is designed to be flexible. Local governments, planning authorities, regional development bodies, and community groups can adapt it to suit their own planning systems and ambitions. Anyone working in energy or industrial policy, infrastructure planning, or regional development is encouraged to use the tool and provide feedback.
To support users, BZE is preparing guidance materials, case studies, and webinars. They're inviting interested organisations to trial the tool in their own region or help complete the remaining indicators.
For those working to support their region’s transition to clean industries, this is an opportunity to shape a practical resource—and to use it to plan for a more coordinated and capable future.
