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AuWE2026 Interview:
ACEN on Scaling Renewables Through Patience and Partnership
In this onsite interview, David Pollington, Managing Director at ACEN Australia, shared what underpins the company's confidence in committing over 750 million AU dollars in financing to a 13 gigawatt pipeline — and why that confidence comes with a candid acknowledgment of how long these projects actually take to deliver.
Pollington pointed to Australia's aging coal fleet, the absence of a nuclear program, and renewables as the cheapest replacement power as the long-term case for investment. But he was equally direct about the realities behind that opportunity: with a 10 to 15 year gestation period, some of ACEN's projects are approaching a decade in development. For Pollington, the key has been picking quality projects early, backed by a team and shareholder aligned on long-term values — including a joint venture with Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation in the Pilbara, a partnership he noted was initiated by the community itself.
On the barriers still facing the sector, Pollington named grid transmission access and lengthening planning and environmental approvals as bigger constraints than capital, with financial close — securing the long-term PPAs that underpin project economics — as the challenge keeping him up at night. Looking to 2027, he called for an honest national conversation about energy transition — not only as a climate imperative, but as a response to aging infrastructure that needs replacing, alongside honest discussion of who that change affects and how to support them.
Editor's Notes:
In this episode, we discuss…
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Why ACEN is confident in Australia's long-term opportunity — aging coal, no nuclear program, and cheap renewables
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The honest reality behind a 13GW pipeline: 10 to 15 year gestation periods, and projects nearing a decade in development
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How ACEN's joint venture with Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation came about — and what a genuine community partnership requires
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Why capital isn't the biggest constraint — grid access and approvals are
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Financial close and long-term PPAs: the challenge keeping Pollington up at night
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His call for an honest national conversation on energy transition by 2027
Meet Interviewee :
David Pollington
Managing Director
ACEN Australia
“ What I would like to see is an honest conversation with the nation about not only the need to change from a climate change perspective, but the need to change because our existing assets are aging and need to be replaced — and some honest discussion about it will affect people, how we can look after people that are affected, and how we can make sure that the lights stay on.
”