A PLAN to build a $18.9 million solar farm at Uranquinty could transform the village into a hub for renewable energy in the near future.
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It comes after the village 16 kilometres south-west of Wagga was marked for a solar farm development along Rodhams Road.
Managing director of BayWa r.e. Projects Australia Fleur Yaxley said they lodged the planning application with Wagga City Council last month with a vision to build a 40,000 panel solar farm at the prime location.
"Given its high levels of sunlight, it's the ideal home for photovoltaic energy and we've been working hard to help unlock the huge potential of renewable energy in Australia," she said.
Ms Yaxley said it is hoped the application could be approved in due course with the view of starting construction towards the end of 2021.
It is expected to take nine months to build while providing about 40 jobs during construction, she said.
However, the global renewable energy developer is not the only company recognising Uranquinty as an ideal location for a solar farm.
An Origin spokesperson confirmed the company is looking into a solar farm development beside the existing gas-fired power station at the village. The plans however are still in its early stages, they said.
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The spokesperson said Origin Energy plans to formally initiate the development approval process with the state's relevant authorities in the coming months.
"We're currently conducting a feasibility assessment which includes several environmental and technical studies and undertaking community consultation," they said.
Uranquinty Progress Association secretary Christine Stewart said residents have no concerns at this stage in regards to the proposed development.
As far as she is aware, the farm will feed directly into the grid and will not be available for residents to tap into, she said.
Ms Stewart said it could, however bring many benefits to the village itself during the construction process.
"Until we see the actual proposal, we cannot make any decisions or objections. I am sure there will be a lot of community consultation before anything is actually locked in," she said.
"I would imagine (certainly businesses, the bakery and local stores) might benefit once they get to a construction phase, as well as, whether they're keen to use local people or decide to bring in their own contractors ... but it is not for awhile anyway."