We are committed to providing the community with clear information and will continue to engage throughout the planning process. Our approach to engagement is focused on fostering respectful, transparent, and lasting relationships with landholders, neighbours, local community members and Council.
Further public information sessions will be held as we move towards final project design and management measures prior to construction. While we will continue to engage and meet with local community throughout the development and detailed design process, some key activities have included:
To compliment the Community Drop-In Sessions held in late 2025, a member of our Community Engagement Team hosted a series of pop-ups at the Colbinabbin General Store in February 2026.
These engagements were designed to help build community knowledge of the projects and to allow people to continue sharing their ideas and asking questions.
Further Community Drop-In Sessions with the project and technical teams will be held when progress has been made on the detailed project design.
On 30 September and 1 October 2025, the Project Team held drop-in sessions and a community meeting in Colbinabbin.
The drop-in sessions were attended by engagement team and technical consultants. The questions and comments provided during these sessions will be reflected in upcoming Project updates and in the information booklet below, which summarises the planning permit application and technical reports.
/DOWNLOAD THE BOOKLET
During the initial notice period, we hosted two online webinars on 2 and 3 December 2024 with the experts who prepared the specialist reports for the planning application. The specialists presented a summary of their findings as well as answered questions from attendees.
Webinar 1 Agenda
Webinar 2 Agenda
These recordings must only be shared in their entirety to preserve the context and integrity of the information provided.
The Cooba Solar Project has committed to an annual Community Benefit Fund of $200,000 per year. This equates to $6M over the 30-year operational life of the project.
The Cooba Solar Project Community Benefit Fund will directly fund local community projects and infrastructure, and will be managed by a Community Reference Group composed of local community members. The fund is designed to evolve with the community over time, to deliver positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes.
The Cooba Solar Project Community Benefit Fund will provide long-term financial support to the wider Colbinabbin region and ensure future growth and development.
The Project Team has held meetings with some key Colbinabbin community representatives to discuss and seek their feedback on the set up of the Community Benefit Fund for the Cooba Solar Project fund, how the Community Reference Group will run and potential projects for funding.
Should you have any questions regarding the community benefit fund, please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing info@coobasolarproject.com.au
As well as the direct benefits from the Community Benefit Fund, the Cooba Solar Project will deliver several positive socio-economic benefits including increased employment opportunities.
Approximately 250 direct jobs will be generated on the project during construction, and 5 full-time jobs during operation.
Venn Energy is also committed to sourcing goods and services from the local region as much as possible, to ensure the Cooba Solar Farm is an active and positive part of the local community.
These employment opportunities or procurement of goods and services from local businesses may include:
Do you own a business in Colbinabbin, Kyabram, Rushworth, Bendigo or nearby areas? If you’re interested in becoming a supplier, simply fill in the form below.
Procurement is not undertaken directly by Venn Energy, however, we will regularly share the Supplier Register with our relevant project delivery partners.