We host it, we benefit – Council calls for fair deal on renewables
Published on 17 July 2025
Armidale Regional Council (ARC) is calling on the NSW Government to address known shortcomings and deliver meaningful regional development through the New England Renewable Energy Zone (NEREZ), describing the current approach as an overlooked opportunity that risks alienating the very communities expected to host the infrastructure.
Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland presented to Parliament today on behalf of Council, advocating for a more effective and locally informed approach to the implementation of the NEREZ.
To date, the State Government has primarily approached the NEREZ as infrastructure corridors supporting metropolitan energy demands and the broader Net Zero transition. While this technical lens has its merits, it risks overlooking the wider potential of the NEREZ to foster economic diversification and empower resilient, self-determined regional communities.
Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland warns that cumulative effects of overlapping renewable energy projects are being seriously underestimated.
“New England Renewable Energy Zone planning has so far failed to recognise fundamental issues currently impacting the region such as water availability, waste management, workforce accommodation, and current infrastructure capacity.”
ARC has stepped-up and developed its own community benefit sharing framework, negotiating impactful Voluntary Planning Agreements (VPAs) with industry leaders who have already moved in, and has purposefully developed a water security strategy for the Armidale region. We now need the NSW Government to back us with funding to underpin the growth impacts.
“We support renewable energy, but there is an increasing burden that continues to fall on Council,” said Mayor Coupland.
“The bottom line is; If we host it, we should benefit from it. Renewable energy is harvested here—this is our region’s resource. We deserve a ‘most favoured nation’ deal.”
Council’s vision for the NEREZ is clear: it should be a driver of regional economic development, not just a tool to meet net zero targets. Until the State Government adopts a place-based, coordinated approach that partners with regional communities, community support will remain out of reach and so will the full potential of the NEREZ.