Assess 2.0, backed by ARENA, is a free, independent platform that helps landowners evaluate their land’s renewable energy potential and plan how energy and agriculture can thrive together, supporting both energy and food security.

Canberra, ACT | 26 March 2026 – RELA today launched Assess 2.0, the next generation of its land assessment software platform, featuring RELA’s new ‘Landplan Builder’ designed to help landowners make informed land use decisions as renewable energy development expands across regional Australia.

Supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Assess 2.0 gives landowners a free, independent, assessment of the renewable energy potential of their land, its commercial value to a project, and an understanding of how a potential project might coexist with existing farming operations and long-term property plans.

The tool, which builds on RELA’s existing land assessment capability with a more accessible, public-facing platform, will support more informed early negotiations between landowners and developers.

Stuart Gourley, Chief of Product of RELA, said: “Our platform enables and empowers landholders to tell their story by centering the people and communities who are at the forefront of the energy transition.”

“Assess 2.0 equips landholders with clear, high-quality insights to make smarter decisions and secure faster, win-win agreements with developers.”

“The renewable energy transition is a once in a generation opportunity for our nation’s $1 trillion agricultural land sector. Getting it right is key to our nation’s long-term energy and food security and will define land productivity in the food, fibre and energy era.”

Assess 2.0 brings together geospatial data, land suitability insights and practical planning tools to help landowners understand how renewable energy projects could work alongside agriculture production. At the centre of the platform’s  update is RELA’s new Landplan Builder, a tool that  enables landowners to define priorities, identify operational constraints and shape how renewable energy proposals can integrate with their farming operations.

The tool was launched by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy the Hon. Chris Bowen MP at Parliament House in Canberra today, with an event that brought together landowners, First Nations representatives, agricultural and renewable energy developers and industry stakeholders, advisers and government representatives who all contributed to the platform’s development and testing.

Chris Faris, Chief Operating Officer at ARENA, said: “This tool is about giving landowners more information and greater agency in the clean energy transition. Assess 2.0 empowers landowners to better understand the renewable energy potential of their land. This will strengthen their ability to engage with developers and help ensure renewable energy projects deliver fair outcomes for landowners and communities.”

Hamish McIntyre, President of the National Farmers’ Federation, said: “Land use competition is a key concern for farmers. It’s only fair and right they receive proper consultation and choice, to better understand project proposals that impact their land and livelihoods. Tools like the RELA product are important for farmers to help them make decisions.”

The Assess 2.0 project was developed through an ARENA-supported process that included guidance from a Stakeholder Reference Group (SRG) comprising representatives across multiple sectors, including agriculture, First Nations and industry stakeholders.

Brent Finlay, Chair of the Assess 2.0 SRG and landowner, said: “The SRG was a leading example that brought together a myriad of key industry stakeholders which were central to shaping the platform’s usability, functionality and practical relevance. The SRG process helped ensure the platform was grounded in real-world stakeholder needs, including privacy, simplicity, practical on-farm use and the ability to support future planning pathways over time.

Assess 2.0 has been built to make complex information more practical and usable for landowners. By combining suitability insights with the Landplan Builder, it helps people move from a broad question of potential to a clearer understanding of how a project might fit with farm operations, constraints and long-term land use goals. Assess 2.0 has been developed with future flexibility in mind, including the potential to support broader land use opportunities alongside renewable energy planning.”

For landowners, RELA says the immediate benefit is a clearer and faster way to understand whether a renewable energy project may be feasible and what next steps may look like for a landowner. For the sector, the company says the platform supports better project outcomes by improving landowner confidence and helping conversations start from a clearer understanding of the land.

RELA said Assess 2.0 is designed not just to identify land that may be suitable for renewable energy projects, but to help landowners make informed decisions that consider agricultural productivity, infrastructure, operations and future opportunities.

The Landplan Builder reflects this shift. Rather than treating renewable energy as a standalone land-use question, the tool helps landowners to map what matters most on their property first, before assessing how projects could fit within those priorities. This includes identifying preferred project areas, exclusions and practical operational considerations such as stock routes.

About RELA Assess 2.0

Assess 2.0 is an ARENA-supported platform developed by RELA to help landowners understand the renewable energy potential of their land through a free, independent assessment process. The platform includes RELA’s new Landplan Builder, which helps landowners define priorities and plan for coexistence between agricultural operations and renewable energy development.

Assess 2.0 is accessible via the web: www.rela.com.au/rela-assess

About RELA

RELA supports landowners with the tools, process and market engagement pathways to help them make informed decisions about renewable energy opportunities on their land. This is the basis of facilitating alignment between landowners and developers in the renewable energy land transition.

RELA are actively supporting landowners through project origination with 12+ originated projects at various stages of development totaling over 2.5GW of renewable generation. This GW figure excludes early-stage projects that do not yet have an estimated GW capacity.

Through its prepayment product RELA has also processed approx $150m in lease prepayments to landowners across twenty projects in alignment with major developers, law firms and financial institutions.

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