In the past four years, billions of dollars of investments toward decarbonizing the energy and industrial sectors have turbocharged the deployment of energy and infrastructure projects around the United States. The data speaks for itself: Over 900 gigawatts (GW) of new solar and wind energy capacity is projected to be online by 2030; over 400,000 jobs in almost every US state are predicted; hundreds of new manufacturing and infrastructure projects announced in 46 states; and, all together, nearly $1 trillion in public funding anticipated through 2030.

To be sure, as federal support for clean energy priorities pulls back, some of these targets may fall short. It’s all the more important, then, that viable projects deploy as effectively as possible. They must successfully navigate the long and unpredictable road to final investment decision (FID). In the past year alone, multiple e-fuels and midstream pipeline infrastructure projects have faced significant permitting delays, denials, and lengthy appeals processes, with some projects being canceled by investors. At the same time, there have also been many “success stories” of cross-sectoral energy and infrastructure projects successfully navigating siting and permitting processes to secure the coveted milestone of FID.

Proactive and meaningful, two-way engagement with host communities has emerged as a universal derisking strategy for deploying energy and infrastructure projects. The 10 universal best practices shared in this article are relevant for developers in a range of energy and industrial sectors across geographies. These long-established, field-tested best practices, strategies, and recommendations are informed by decades of successful project deployment and have been amplified and socialized at national and international conferences, capacity-building webinars, cross-sectoral workshops, and 1:1 engagements with developers, policymakers, regulators, investors, and host communities for several years. They are applicable to rural and urban communities, port- and near-port communities, former manufacturing hubs, legacy industry, and gateway communities, and hold true across all deployment stages (i.e., pilots, pre-FID, post-FID, with construction underway, etc.) in the lifecycle of projects.

There is a clear business case for developers to invest time, resources, and effort in conducting proactive, meaningful engagement with host communities to derisk critical projects. Designing a well-rounded and holistic engagement strategy, and implementing it thoughtfully in consultation and collaboration with trusted gatekeepers and “community connectors,” has consistently yielded a high ROI (return on investment). Furthermore, investors and offtakers also take note of developers who have built credibility with key local stakeholders. Securing the necessary “social license” to operate goes a long way in keeping energy and infrastructure projects on track to reach final investment decision and commencing construction on schedule.

Thoughtful implementation of these 10 field-tested universal best practices will serve as a roadmap for current and future energy and infrastructure projects across all sectors worldwide.

Hadia Sheerazi, Consult, Communicate, Collaborate: A checklist of 10 universal best practices and lessons to derisk energy and infrastructure project deployment, RMI, April 17 2025, https://rmi.org/consult-communicate-collaborate.

Donor Acknowledgements

RMI would like to thank the Bezos Earth Fund (Earth Fund) and Mission Possible Partnership (MPP) for their partnership on this critical work.