When Gentari entered the Australian market in 2023, it was drawn to the country’s growing momentum and opportunity in renewable energy. Australia offered a favourable environment for clean energy investment, supported by strong industry ambitions and long-term growth potential.
Gentari established its presence in Australia through the acquisition of Sydney-based renewable energy developer Wirsol Energy. It has since grown its team from around 25 to more than 50 employees.
As the business evolved, it learned that successful renewable energy development is about more than projects and investment. It’s equally about understanding local perspectives, building relationships and working alongside communities and stakeholders.
Today, Australia is an important part of Gentari’s renewable energy portfolio, alongside its operations in Malaysia, India, Taiwan and Vietnam. The company continues to grow its presence in the market, taking a collaborative approach to developing projects and creating long-term value for the communities in which it operates.
Over time, Gentari has come to recognise that trust, respect and genuine engagement are fundamental to successful project development. These principles continue to shape how the company works with communities, partners and stakeholders across its Australian operations.
Listening before building
For Gentari, earning the trust of regional communities is just as important as delivering solar panels or batteries. That means listening first.
‘We need to be collaborating with communities. We need to know what they want,’ says Nik Imran Mustapha, Head of Business Development, Gentari Renewables.
‘We can’t just force our way into it. We need to listen to what they want as well.’
Across Gentari’s Australian projects, community engagement has become far more than just a part of planning. It’s part of the organisation’s culture, prioritising early conversations, long-term relationships and allowing communities to help shape the outcomes that matter to them.
Gentari has spent time understanding and navigating these cultural and systemic differences, with the help of Austrade.
‘Austrade has been amazing for us, both in Australia, regionally and in Kuala Lumpur,’ says Imran Mustapha.
Austrade has supported Gentari’s growth in Australia by facilitating introductions to government stakeholders and industry networks, providing market insights, and helping connect teams across Australia and Malaysia.
Prioritising respect
Respect for culture and community aspirations guides Gentari’s broader engagement with communities, particularly with First Nations people.
Before construction begins on an Australian-based project, Gentari meets with Traditional Custodians, local Aboriginal organisations and community leaders to understand cultural protocols, significant places and community priorities.
That commitment goes beyond complying with local laws and rules. Patricio Muñoz, who leads community engagement across Gentari's Australian projects, believes successful projects rely on communities feeling genuinely heard.
‘By building relationships from the very beginning, people feel comfortable reaching out and being honest about what’s happening on the ground,’ he says.
‘A lot of my job is talking, but an even bigger part is listening. Relationships take time. You have to invest that time.’
That commitment to listening and learning has influenced everything from cultural awareness training for Gentari staff to supporting Aboriginal-led initiatives that weren’t originally part of the project.
It has also led to rules around how to handle artefacts found during the project.
‘If cultural artefacts are discovered during construction, we follow established cultural heritage protocols in consultation with relevant stakeholders,’ Imran Mustapha explains.
‘We might have project deadlines to meet, but cultural heritage comes first.’
Trust, not transactions
Taking a community-first approach has helped Gentari build relationships based on trust rather than transactions. For this to happen, every new project begins the same way – with time and patience.
‘You have to accept that meaningful engagement takes time,’ says Muñoz.
‘I always try to meet people in person and, most importantly, I spend that first meeting listening.’
Whether speaking with Traditional Custodians, local councils, farmers or community organisations, engagement isn’t just about explaining a project. It’s a two-way conversation.
Muñoz wants to understand what communities value, what concerns they have and what opportunities they want the project to create.
‘I tend to think about community engagement through 3 lenses: compassion, communication and consistency,’ he says.
‘Everyone responds to change differently, so you have to approach it with compassion. Then it’s about explaining things clearly, and finally, being consistent. Trust isn’t something that happens overnight.’
That approach has become important across regional Australia, where renewable energy projects are transforming local landscapes and economies.
‘The energy industry is going through a profound shift,’ Muñoz says. ‘Our role is to work with communities to explain the shift towards renewables – why it’s needed, what it involves and how people can be part of it.
Gentari’s flagship Maryvale Solar and Energy Storage Project in the NSW Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.
Community in the driver’s seat
One of the clearest examples of Gentari’s approach is in Wellington, in the NSW Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.
The Maryvale Solar and Energy Storage Project is one of Gentari’s flagship Australian renewable energy developments. Currently under construction, the 400-hectare project will see battery storage and approximately 400,000 solar panels installed. More than 360 jobs will be created during the peak of construction.
Well before the project began, Gentari worked with the local Aboriginal community to set up a community benefit fund, with decisions on supported initiatives guided by the community itself.
An Aboriginal advisory panel, the Wellington Aboriginal Action Panel, was already in place in the area. It’s a trusted advisory body that brings together local Aboriginal organisations, educators, health representatives, the Local Aboriginal Land Council and other community leaders to discuss issues affecting the region.
Instead of deciding how community funding should be spent, Gentari asked the panel to lead the decisions. For Kerryann Stanley, a proud Wiradjuri woman, educator, consultant and panel member, that decision stood out as being a respectful and transparent way to do business with the community.
‘They didn’t come looking for one person to speak for the community,’ she says. ‘They came to a collective group that genuinely represents our Aboriginal community.’
More importantly, Gentari didn’t arrive with predetermined ideas. Instead, community members were entrusted to determine which Aboriginal-led initiatives would receive support, reflecting a genuine commitment to self-determination.
‘They said, “We have this funding. You tell us what your community needs”,’ says Stanley.
‘People often say they support Aboriginal communities. But usually they support us on their terms. They decide what’s important, how to spend funding and what success looks like.
‘Gentari did the opposite. They trusted Aboriginal people to make those decisions ourselves. That’s the first time I’ve experienced that.’
To distribute the funding, community members submit project ideas to the panel, and the panel decides which initiatives will deliver the greatest benefit.
‘That’s real self-determination,’ Stanley says.
‘We know our people. We know what our community needs. We know who is already doing good work and where the gaps are. Gentari simply trusted us to make those decisions.’
Investing in culture
One of the projects supported by the community investment fund was Deadly Doobayes. This is a cultural leadership program developed by Stanley for Aboriginal girls at Wellington High School.
In the Wiradjuri language, “doobayes” means young women.
The program reconnects participants with culture, kinship, identity and Country while helping them develop confidence, resilience and leadership skills.
The sessions explore Aboriginal women’s cultural roles and responsibilities, wellbeing, healing and future pathways. Girls map their kinship networks, learn about their culture, and spend time with Elders and participate in activities including weaving, art and yarning circles.
The program also supports other Aboriginal businesses. Stanley engages local Aboriginal artists, caterers and cultural educators – including weaver and artist Maid with Maribung, Kiana’s Catering and a local Aboriginal tea business – ensuring the investment flows through the wider community.
‘It’s not just supporting my project,’ she says. ‘It creates opportunities for a range of Aboriginal businesses throughout our community.’
One activity asks the girls to trace around their hand and identify the people who support them. By the end of the exercise, many realise they are surrounded by people who care deeply about them.
‘They’re not alone. They’re valued, they’re loved and they belong,’ Stanley says.
‘It’s about reconnecting young Aboriginal women with culture, strengthening their identity and building confidence. Those benefits stay with them.’
Gentari works to strengthen skill, capability and opportunities for local community members.
Building capacity beyond the fund
The panel-directed grants sit alongside a broader set of commitments Gentari has built into the Maryvale project. Under the project’s Long-Term Energy Services Agreement, Gentari supports Industry Capability Grants designed to strengthen skills, capability and opportunities for local and regional businesses throughout the life of the project.
Muñoz has also worked to bridge the gap between training and employment – running job fairs, connecting community members with training and employment providers, and sitting down with people to help put together their CVs.
‘The big challenge isn’t so much the provision of training, because there are a lot of training providers,’ he says.
‘It’s the materialisation of employment opportunities. You’ve got a very capable, skilled and trained workforce, but how does that translate into genuine job opportunities?’
Once construction wraps up and the project moves into operations and maintenance, Gentari aims to keep that local focus, employing a smaller, largely local team to run the site.
Gentari has also invested in cultural awareness training for its own people. Stanley has run an Aboriginal cultural appreciation workshop for Gentari’s executive team and performed a Welcome to Country for the project’s official opening.
In Victoria, Gentari has also partnered with the Country Universities Centre to fund bursaries supporting STEM-related studies, extending its community investment beyond the Maryvale project.
Building partnerships for the long term
Imran Mustapha says collaboration and local partnerships have been central to Gentari’s approach in Australia.
‘We didn’t come into Australia expecting to impose our way of doing things,’ he says.
‘We work with local communities, local businesses and government to understand what’s important here.’
From the outset, Gentari recognised the importance of understanding local perspectives and working with communities, businesses and government to shape outcomes that reflect local priorities.
The company works closely with local councils, farmers, schools, employment providers and regional businesses throughout the life of its projects. Many of those relationships continue well beyond construction.
‘We want communities to feel proud of the projects being built in their region,’ Imran Mustapha says.
‘We often live and work in those communities while construction is underway, so understanding local expectations isn’t optional – it’s essential.’
For Stanley, that’s exactly what has made the partnership different.
‘You can tell who’s there because it’s part of their compliance requirements,’ she says.
‘And you can tell who’s there because they genuinely care. Patricio genuinely listened. He wasn’t there to tick a box.’
Gentari’s approach goes further than creating a successful project for the business. It has developed a positive relationship with the community and has supported community self-determination for local projects that will keep producing outcomes for future generations.
Both Gentari and the community benefit, with Aboriginal decision-making taking a leading role. The community is making decisions about funding that will leave a mark long after the project ends.
‘They recognised that they didn’t fully understand our community from a cultural perspective,’ Stanley says. ‘Instead of pretending they did, they trusted the people who actually live here.
‘I honestly can’t praise that approach highly enough.’
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