Why understanding risk is key to accelerating renewable energy projects

“It’s not about making projects perfect. It’s about identifying where the real risks are, and whether those risks are being managed appropriately.” – Ben Saffron, Executive Advisor and Investment, Policy and Economics Leader

The energy transition is moving from ambition to execution. For utilities and developers, the challenge is no longer simply setting renewable energy targets. It is delivering viable projects at the speed and scale required while maintaining confidence in cost, schedules and energy security.

That makes understanding risk a critical part of accelerating delivery. Resource quality, grid connections, permitting, project maturity, infrastructure access and realistic schedules can all determine whether a promising renewable energy project ultimately delivers as expected.

In this episode, Ben Saffron joins Ben Hall, Global Thought Leadership Manager at GHD, to explore how utilities and independent power producers can identify the risks that matter, build greater confidence into procurement and investment decisions and move renewable energy projects more effectively from ambition to execution.

• De-risking renewable energy projects is not about eliminating every uncertainty. It is about understanding which risks could materially affect successful delivery
• High-quality resource data, realistic schedules, credible interconnection plans and project maturity are fundamental to assessing whether a project can deliver as promised
• Independent technical evaluation can help utilities compare diverse proposals and understand the pressure points that may emerge during delivery
• Developers can strengthen proposals by being transparent about risk and demonstrating credible plans for managing uncertainty
• Clear evaluation criteria, realistic timelines and collaboration between utilities, developers and advisors can help turn clean energy ambition into deliverable projects

Explore the related Nexus article

Read Ben Saffron’s Nexus Weekly Column, Targets don’t build power projects, deliverability does: How to practically reduce risk on renewable energy projects, for a deeper look at how utilities and independent power producers can strengthen project evaluation, reduce risk and improve renewable energy delivery.