10am SAT NOV 9thEvery year Armidale folk gather at Black Gully (behind NERAM) to celebrate community, music and biodiversity 
This guide shows planting time periods that should allow you to get a crop in Armidale. |
Oven Mountain pumped hydro between Armidale and Kempsey Added by editor, on October 19th, 2017  “A $1 billion, 600MW pumped hydro project is being proposed on private land in northern New South Wales, in yet another example of the extraordinary interest in storage technologies as the share of low-cost renewables increases across Australia.
“A company called Oven Mountain Pumped Storage is proposing the facility – which will have round six hours of storage – on the mountain of the same name between Armidale and Kempsey – in the electorate of deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.”
Read more: Renew Economy | 600MW pumped hydro project proposed for northern NSW
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This pumped hydro idea was first proposed by engineer Zini Buzo for the Styx River, now re-located to the lower volume Oaky River Hrdroelectric Power Station, formerly operated by New England County Council to knock the top off local electrical power demand during peak usage times and so avoid the exorbitant and exploitive peak power charging used by the NSW Electricity Commission to rip-off electricity consumers.
The Oaky Dam wall was reported as being damaged in a recent storm due to some interesting management decisions, and no information is known at present about when, if ever, this valuable local asset will be restored to electricity production.
The late David Drummond MLA MHR believed that every steam falling over the Eastern escarpment should pass through a hydro-electric turbine. He has been proven correct and it was only the personal interests of some Sydney politicians that prevented more hydro power being generated in New England.
Thanks Jack. I remember another pumped hydro proposal in the 1980s which would have dammed the Apsley River below Paradise Rocks (the Budds Mare visitor area). The storage lake would have been on Moona Plains above the river. This was rejected and instead a new park was declared – Oxley Wild Rivers NP. I think it was the right decision, despite the need for clean energy (which should have been made a priority at that time, instead of more coal mines and more coal power).