Prosperous regions need agglomerations of successful businesses. But some agglomerations, such as coal and, perhaps, renewables, tread on their hosts rather heavily.
In the 1970s, NSW premier Neville Wran talked about transforming the Hunter into an energy powerhouse, like Germany's Ruhr valley. The vision was realised at pace: Eraring and Bayswater power stations, an expanded Kurri Kurri aluminium smelter, a new smelter at Tomago, open-cut coal mines at Mt Thorley, Warkworth and Saxonvale (now Bulga).
