Pursuing participation and transparency

One of the key objectives of the BSTGRID project was to increase local public acceptance for grids by applying best practices in participation and transparency in new grid projects. The idea was to test new approaches in the pilot projects that involve stakeholders earlier and more extensively than usual and that implement more transparent and democratic decision processes. 

Within the BESTGRID consortium the NGO Germanwatch has assumed responsibility for the project tasks that focus on stakeholder engagement and public acceptance. To this end, Germanwatch closely monitored the implementation activities and advised on practical challenges. Additionally, the well-connected NGO invited other NGOs and experts dealing with participation issues to internal workshops in order to gather and include as much external knowledge as possible. Based on their observations and the workshops as well as on discussions with stakeholders Germanwatch wrote  a guidebook on public participation and transparency in grid development projects.

The guidebook entails general principles for participation and transparency and provides specific advice for the local and national levels.