The government's new energy roadmap singles out Wagga's Special Activation Precinct as a potential new hotspot for "green hydrogen" production, which relies on large-scale solar energy.

The report identifies Bomen as an ideal hydrogen hub, pointing to the nearby Inland Rail, new solar farms, and existing hydrogen-using factories such as Southern Oil.

Southern Oil managing director Tim Rose said they had already started looking into green hydrogen alongside the CSIRO, saying he believed that hydrogen-powered fuel was the way of the future.

Mr Rose said they currently have to import their hydrogen all the way from Queensland, but that a local hydrogen plant would allow the industry to grow exponentially.

"If you start building other refineries here there's hundreds of jobs in this area - thousands of jobs when you factor in the ancillary service industries you need to support those core industries," Mr Rose said.

"We can be anything: it's an emerging field and Wagga's really well-placed to latch onto that emerging trend if we're smart about it and if we take advantage of what we've naturally got around the place."

Planet Power Solar Energy owner Craig Burmeister said it was validating to see the government finally coming around to the idea of solar energy after so long.

Mr Burmeister said Wagga's ageing electrical infrastructure had held back the local solar industry for years, and that it was good to see upgrades in the pipeline and a greater emphasis on renewable energy.

"The network was designed 50 years ago for the flow of electricity to go in one direction, so the current infrastructure wasn't designed for a reverse flow which has been a problem," Mr Burmeister said.

"The more they can upgrade the network the easier it will make our job, as well as the whole energy sector from Snowy Hydro all the way to Uranquinty gas stations and the wind and solar farms in between."

READ MORE: