Participatory processes for strategic energy planning: A toolkit for national energy planners

The global energy transition requires unprecedented co-ordination across all sectors of society. As countries accelerate their shift toward renewable energy systems, the complexity and scale of transformation demand inclusive planning processes that engage diverse stakeholders and build broad consensus for ambitious climate and energy goals. This comprehensive toolkit, developed through IRENA's Long-Term Energy Scenarios (LTES) Network, provides government energy planners with practical guidance for implementing effective participatory processes in national energy scenario development.

Drawing on experiences from government planning institutions worldwide, and developed in consultation with practitioners and researchers, the toolkit presents a strategic framework organised around three core categories of participatory approaches: knowledge gathering (workshops, surveys, interviews); co-creation (steering committees, working groups, networks); and knowledge dissemination (presentations, visualisation tools, interactive platforms). It identifies seven key stakeholder groups essential for comprehensive energy planning and provides detailed guidance on engaging each group effectively, recognizing their different capacities, interests, and constraints.

Thirteen detailed cases illustrate diverse approaches to participatory energy planning. These real-world examples demonstrate how meaningful stakeholder engagement accelerates the clean energy transition while ensuring no one is left behind. The toolkit serves as both a reference guide for immediate application, and as a foundation for continued innovation, enabling planners to foster more inclusive, transparent and effective processes that build the social consensus necessary for achieving ambitious energy and climate goals.