Sam Coupland, the mayor of Armidale in northern NSW, says the New England Renewable Energy Zone will only proceed if the state government commits to pouring in about $500 million to upgrade his region’s water security.
“Water, that’s the gateway,” Coupland told Renew Economy during a recent visit to his office. “Right now the state needs us more than we need them, and that’s our only lever.”
In June, the Armidale Regional Council passed a resolution – “no water, no REZ”.
As owner of all the water infrastructure in the local government area, the council vowed not to “make any water available for the transmission or any construction until we have a guaranteed commitment from the state that they will fund –significantly – the water security”, he said.
The robust stance was informed by Coupland’s view since becoming mayor in early 2022 that the government wasn’t adequately accounting for the needs of local communities.
