Experts Stress: Effective Communication Crucial for Advancing Renewable Projects

• Christina Shim from IBM highlighted the significance of articulating the business benefits of a sustainability initiative amid today’s geopolitical environment.
• Shim stated during a panel discussion that "as long as the end results match, your focus should be on ensuring effective communication with the correct stakeholders."
• According to a report from the Global Infrastructure Hub, the typical duration for preparing a project is around six years; however, this process could extend up to as many as fourteen years if adequate planning is lacking.

According to experts, renewable energy firms can expedite the lengthy approval process required for their initiatives by improving communication with stakeholders.

Christina Shim, IBM’s lead on sustainability matters, stated that when talking about their initiatives, sponsors should emphasize both the business advantages and the ecological perks.

"As mentioned earlier... certain terms might trigger different reactions globally. It’s crucial to measure the business impact of your initiatives and connect them back to operational activities and strategic decisions within the company,” Shim stated on Thursday.

So long as the results are identical, ensure your communication is suitable for the relevant parties involved.

She drew a parallel to the way you would communicate with a CFO as opposed to an investor or someone from procurement. She emphasized, “You sort of need to adjust your approach and discuss matters somewhat distinctively for each.”

Mitesh Patel, interim CEO and COO at SunCable International, agrees that adjusting communication for the right audience is crucial.

"For politicians, the voters are their constituency, not your project or not your company. You have to help them translate what benefits your project will bring to the constituents," said Patel, whose company is developing a project to deliver solar energy from Australia to Singapore via undersea cables.

The project, called Australia-Asia PowerLink, is valued around $24 billion and expected to supply Singapore with 1.75 gigawatts of electricity — or around 15% of its electricity needs , according to the company.

The comments by Shim and Patel, who were speaking to 's Steve Sedgwick on a panel in Singapore, come as renewable energy projects often take many years to get off the ground.

A report From the Global Infrastructure facility, which is part of the World Bank’s Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, highlighted the intricate preparatory work required for infrastructure projects. On average, this process takes about six years; however, without proper planning, it could extend up to fourteen years.

The primary hurdle in initiating renewable energy projects, according to Cenk Alper, the CEO of Sabanci Holding—a major Turkish corporation—is frequently tied to regulatory issues.

He mentioned that the primary issue remains with the government and permits. The entire duration from obtaining licenses to getting the project prepared exceeds the actual construction period.

He mentioned that the circumstances in Europe are even more dire, pointing out an initiative where linking to the network required two years.

Alper stated that Western nations should expedite the authorization procedures for renewable energy initiatives, pointing out that China has undertaken more such projects over the past half-decade than all other regions globally.