About Us: Local leaders, national impact & lasting legacy.
Sam Coupland, Inaugural CoREM Chair and Mayor, Armidale Regional Council.
“We established CoREM to empower local Governments to maximise the ongoing local benefits of hosting large-scale Renewable Energy Projects.
The imposition of REZ on local Government has a significant benefit, both positive and negative. Member Councils have not been sufficiently engaged or consulted by the State Government and its various bodies (including Energy Corp and the Department of Planning), or by renewable energy developers. Yet it is the local LGA which will bear both the significant short term, and the ongoing long term, social and financial burden.
We are not requesting a seat at the table, we are the table.”
MISSION
CoREM works with government and developers to clearly define the ‘rules of the game’ to be followed when establishing renewable energy infrastructure in regional NSW regardless of whether it is inside a REZ or not.
Our Work
Setting Expectations of Govt and Developers.
CoREM was a lobbying force to ensure consistent standards were set as to the appropriate contribution projects should make to a host community. This gave rise to the NSW Benefit Sharing Guideline.
This guideline applies to all renewable energy projects across NSW and each LGA has the opportunity to use it to their advantage.
It is recommended that each LGA adopt their own ‘Community Benefit Sharing Framework’ to signal local intent. See the ‘Resources’ tab for examples from CoREM councils.
Lobbying for legacy infrastructure.
We aim to work with State Government and developers to ensure the renewable rollout leaves LGAs with critical legacy infrastructure, including:
Require all state significant projects to have a housing plan that leaves legacy infrastructure (developed land or housing) after the construction phase;
Water storage, water treatment and sewage infrastructure receives appropriate state government investment to allow LGA’s to cope with the pressure renewable energy development will place on their aging plants
Renewable Information Hub
for LGAs.
This website will be developed to act as an information hub for all LGA’s and their communities grappling with the establishment, development and operations of renewable energy.
As a conduit for the collation of news related to State Significant Projects, and their impacts on Councils;
Establish a database of projects easily searchable by Council, Type and Size beyond the existing compliance based systems; and
Disseminate information related to Voluntary Planning Agreements to help support consistent contributions across the various REZ.
Member Councils
