Wellington REACT Business Case & Funding

Client:
Dubbo Regional Council

Year Completed:
Business case delivered 2024; funding secured 2025

Location:
Wellington, NSW

Services/engagement type:
Two-phase business case development and subsequent funding application

Brief Overview

The Wellington Renewable Energy Awareness and Career Training (REACT) Centre began as a local idea that needed to be tested for feasibility and translated into a structured proposal. Dubbo Regional Council engaged us to lead the business case process and prepare the subsequent funding application. By addressing both the strategic case and the funding pathway, we transformed REACT from a long-discussed concept into a funded project that will deliver skills, jobs, and long-term benefits to Wellington and the wider Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

Challenge / Context

The REACT concept had circulated in the community for years but lacked the evidence and structure to attract government investment. Council needed a robust business case capable of demonstrating feasibility, policy alignment and quantified economic benefits — all under compressed timeframes.

Adding complexity, the project spanned multiple stakeholder groups, from local community organisations to education providers, industry partners and multiple levels of government. It also needed to address policy drivers around skills shortages in the renewable energy sector while balancing local aspirations for long-term community benefit.

Our Approach

We delivered a structured two-phase process:

  • Discovery & Pre-feasibility: Site analysis, creation of a site selection framework, and early workshops to test feasibility and stakeholder appetite.

  • Full Business Case: Detailed option analysis, economic impact modelling, and co-design with government, industry, and education partners.

The business case created the foundation for a compelling funding application. We then supported Council through the full application process, ensuring the staged scope aligned with available funding while retaining flexibility for future expansion.

  • Delivered a robust, evidence-based business case that gave REACT legitimacy and secured funding.

  • Successfully balanced local aspirations with state and federal policy priorities, enabling broad support across all levels of government.

  • Built alignment and trust with industry, education providers and the local community through an intensive, iterative engagement process.

  • Demonstrated our expertise in structuring complex, policy-related projects under compressed timeframes, ensuring they are both investment-ready and fundable

Outcomes

✓ $11.25m funding secured

✓ Risk-mitigated project scoping

✓ NSW-first clean energy skills training centre

*Cover photo from Lightsource BP’s Wellington North Star