European Energy has signed a series of 30-year cultural heritage management agreements and shared prosperity agreements with the First Nations group FNBGGGTB in Queensland, Australia, strengthening the framework for developing three solar and battery projects in the region.
The agreements cover European Energy’s Bullyard, Upper Calliope, and Tyrone projects and build on an initial exclusivity agreement signed in 2024.
While the earlier agreement established a framework for investigating potential development sites, the new project-specific agreements set out long-term arrangements for cultural heritage protection and financial contributions to the Traditional Owners throughout the projects’ lifespan.
The cultural heritage management agreements establish processes to identify and protect culturally important sites and artefacts during project development. The shared prosperity agreements provide long-term funding to support social, cultural, and environmental initiatives determined by the Traditional Owners themselves.
The FNBGGGTB Group represents the Bailai, Gurang, Gooreng Gooreng and Taribelang Bunda peoples, the Traditional Owners, and native title holders of the Bundaberg and Gladstone regions of Queensland.
“Developing renewable energy projects requires long-term co-operation with the communities and landholders involved. These agreements establish a framework for progressing our projects while protecting cultural heritage and ensuring that the Traditional Owners share in the benefits generated over the lifetime of the projects,” said Catriona McLeod, Managing Director of European Energy Australia.
“For European Energy, establishing these partnerships is an important part of developing a renewable energy portfolio in Australia. The agreements reflect our long-term approach to project development and our commitment to working closely with Traditional Owners,” she added.
The agreements follow more than three years of cooperation between European Energy and the FNBGGGTB Group and establish arrangements intended to provide benefits across generations.
“We’ve been working with European Energy for three or four years now and we’ve seen that relationship go from strength to strength over that time. The renewables transition offers exciting opportunities for First Nations people and these partnerships allow us to maximise those opportunities,” commented Matthew Cooke, Group CEO of the FNBGGGTB Group.
The Clean Energy Council recognised the partnership between European Energy and the FNBGGGTB Group in 2025, when the organisations received its First Nations Engagement and Participation Award.
The agreements form part of European Energy’s broader approach to developing renewable energy projects in Australia, combining solar generation and battery storage with long-term partnerships in the regions where its projects are located.
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