A prominent Wagga business leader has praised the launch of a major new discovery hub in the heart of the city.
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Transgrid opened its Discovery Hub in Kincaid Street on Monday night with the aim of providing an engaging and inviting space for community members, landowners and businesses to understand more about the transition to renewable energy.
The hub will feature a one-stop shop for visitors to engage with Transgrid, community meeting facilities, a student discovery space, a yarning circle for community discussion and an electric vehicle charging station.
The hub also aims to provide further information about Transgrid's major projects EnergyConnect, HumeLink and VNI West, which are centred in the Riverina, and is the first facility of its kind on the company's 13,000km network across NSW and the ACT.
Committee for Wagga chairman Adam Drummond said the network he heads has backed the project since its inception.
"We've always been big believers in clean energy and of alternative energy [options] coming to the regions," Mr Drummond said.
"This hub in particular is extremely important, because for people who may be confused by major infrastructure projects such as the three Transgrid are involved in this area ... it allows people to come in on their own time and talk with someone who has the answers to all the questions they have.
"That is very rare for large infrastructure projects."
Mr Drummond said regional areas including Wagga were showing a "significant grasp" of the steps that needed to be taken to protect the environment.
He said the hub was also a "great resource" to help young people see how electricity is generated.
"I hopped on their bike [generator] ... earlier and charged my phone. I only got it up a couple of a per cent, but apparently that was good just to be able to get it charged," Mr Drummond said.
He said activities like that are important to engage the next generation and help to "make education entertaining".
"I think that's part of the education process, because if you can engage the youth and community members, then you're already halfway there," he said.
Transgrid chief executive Brett Redman said the exciting new hub will provide fun and interactive educational experiences for school students and a permanent engagement location for landowners.
He said Wagga was "at the heart" of the renewable energy transformation and hopes to "make a positive difference and provide tangible and enduring benefits to the local community".
Mr Redman said the hub will "transform the way we engage with regional communities as we plan and build the critical transmission infrastructure needed to support Australia's clean energy transition".
He said the hub will also provide opportunities for local businesses to secure supply contracts, and quality facilities for use by community members and not-for-profit groups.
A Transgrid spokesperson said construction of the hub provided a significant boost to local businesses.