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NETWORK / 29 / NOVEMBER 2016 developer could be looking to use innovative technologies and carbon reduction to attract tenants that care about climate change. At this stage, you'll be working on assumptions that will have to be refined as the project progresses. You should map relationships, flows of information or areas of common interest between stakeholders. If you can understand those channels, you'll be able to make use of them. Step 3 Prioritise your actions Rank the relative importance of different stakeholders so that you can allocate resources accordingly. Consider visualising this as a matrix that maps stakeholders according to their levels of interest and influence. Key players might be those with high demand for heat that can be used as an anchor load, or locally influential advocacy groups. Aim to make these groups bought-in and actively supportive. Then there are stakeholders with high levels of influence, but little interest, who need to be kept satisfied. This category might include organisations that control the land you would like to use for your energy centre, or the railway infrastructure you would like to route your pipework underneath. Groups with high levels of interest and low levels of influence should be kept informed, as they may gain influence by grouping together to block progress. They could also become advocates who help accelerate development. You should also build awareness among stakeholder groups with low influence and interest. Although they are relatively unimportant, their status may change over the course of project development. Remember that the way you prioritise your stakeholders should be refined throughout the project. Your initial assessment may be incorrect and your engagement activities might highlight a need to move stakeholders up or down your list. Step 4 Plan your engagement This is where things get tactical. Develop key messages that focus on the desired outcomes of engagement. For example, you may be looking to collect consumption data for use in a feasibility study, understand risk to inform your investment decision or secure commitment from potential customers. Tailor your messages to the audience to build excitement in the project. The beauty of district energy is that it can be a solution to a range of social and financial challenges, such as fuel poverty, energy security, carbon reduction and economic growth. The key is to understand which challenges resonate with your stakeholder and developing your project to address them. You may even be able to find an innovative solution to build support for the project locally, as happened in Copenhagen where a waste-to-energy plant has been designed to double as a skiing and hiking destination. Select appropriate channels for communication: form steering groups or arrange face-to-face meetings with key players, then use less resource- intensive methods such as email campaigns or news articles for those with lower priority. Think strategically about who should lead the engagement and whether you can leverage any existing relationships. We've seen first hand that not every stakeholder has a good relationship with their local authority. Sometimes you may want to present yourself as working more independently of them, whereas in other cases their involvement can help build trust and legitimise a project. Step 5 Engage effectively You might be surprised how oˆen you hear the opening line, "Can I have three years of your gas and electrical data so I can build in the connection of your site to our model?" This might be your priority, but it certainly isn't for the stakeholder. People oˆen have misconceptions about district energy. Start from first principles: explain what a heat network is and how it can benefit them. Explain the role it will play in delivering on local priorities. Be realistic and don't promise something you can't deliver. If you're promising cheaper heat then make sure you can deliver cheaper heat. It's simple, but there are several examples where district energy projects have made this claim and it has proved to be false. This poses a serious risk to the reputation of the whole industry and can make future projects more difficult. Following these five steps helps maximise your chances of positive engagement and gaining a deeper understanding of your stakeholders. Far too oˆen developers just focus on the technological and economic challenges associated with projects, but taking a sophisticated approach to stakeholder engagement can oˆen be just as important. Adding in the human element ultimately helps deliver a more successful project for everyone involved. N £39 million pilot The first stage of the £320 million Heat Networks Invest- ment project was launched last month with a £39 million pilot scheme. The pilot will be opened for applications this autumn, while the pre-qualification process for the single competitive fund- ing round will be opened on 18 October. The first payments are expected to be made by 31 March 2017. The main scheme, which will consist of the remainder of the budget announced by the government in November 2015 to support investment in heat networks, is expected to open in 2017 and will run for four years. The pilot scheme is open to local authorities and other public sector bodies – excluding central Government departments – ap- plying for any efficient heating and cooling network in England and Wales.