Construction will soon begin on a three megawatt solar farm to power Wodonga's sewage treatment plant.
As part of a comprehensive tender process, North East Water has awarded the contract to Photon Energy Engineering Australia, which will soon commence a detailed design of the project.
Executive Planning & Infrastructure, Rebecca Jhonston, said construction is expected to start in the next few months.
"The $9M project will see the installation of 10,000 solar panels at the site in West Wodonga", Ms Jhonston said.
"We committed to achieving net-zero emissions before 2050 and the solar farm is a significant step to help us reach that pledge.
"The farm will generate more than enough electricity to power the nearby sewage treatment plant.
"We've sized the system to account for future upgrades of the plant, and in the short term it will allow us to transfer electricity to also run Wodonga's water treatment plant.
"The life of system is expected to be at least 25 years, so our customers will benefit from the investment for decades to come as it will help keep prices flat.
"When the solar farm comes online, 50% of the Corporation's total daytime power consumption will come from renewable energy including a portion sourced from wind generated power."
"Ms Jhonston added, "The contractor will be partnering with many local businesses throughout the project."
"We took this into consideration during the tender process, with the aim to keep as much of the investment within our region as possible.
"One of the electrical sub-contractors that will be used on the project also has an employment program which supports our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities."
Construction of the solar farm is estimated to take approximately 12 months to complete.
