The Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone, was declared for the region by the state government and will help bring new wing and solar farms to towns around the area.

Wellington, Dunedoo, Gilgandra, Narromine and the Casillis districts are all set to benefit from the project.

A community network is now open to everyone in the region, with the group wanting to ensure the Renewable Energy Zone delivers for the communities involved.

The group is also hoping the Renewable Energy Zone provides farming income and careers for an industry which is growing across Western NSW.

Workshops have been planned to be held online and in-person for the next month, with Narromine local Karin Stark hoping to register for one of the events.

"It's about locals speaking together as a powerful voice on what we want the Renewable Energy Zone to deliver for our community," she said.

READ ALSO:

Ms Stark lives as a food and fibre farmer in Narromine while also being the founder of the annual National Renewables in Agriculture conference.

In other areas of Australia, Ms Stark admitted wind and solar farms have offered neighbour payments, direct opportunities, free electricity and funds for yearly community grant programs.

Ms Stark believes the community network group is hoping to maximise some of these opportunities in the area.

"The volume of incoming renewables investment means we can afford to be ambitious about the legacy projects we want to build to benefit our community for decades to come," she said.

Gulgong local Maddison O'Brien, admitted she found the workshops insightful and they catered to her passions.

"One thing I'm passionate about is the need for sustainable agriculture across our region," he said.

"I found that there was a productive open conversation about these issues and a lot of others agreed with me about their importance. It would be wonderful to see some small initiatives supported like regenerative ag training and support groups, support for small-scale agriculture and community projects like a community garden."

Anyone who is interested in the future of the projects can head along to one of the workshops or find more information at re-alliance.org.au/act

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: