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The construction of a 3MW solar farm to help power Wodonga’s sewage treatment plant should commence this year according to North East Water.

Wodonga, on the Victorian side of the border between VIC and NSW and around 300 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, is the state’s fastest growing regional city. Increasing population means increased water usage and resulting wastewater; the treatment of which is an energy-intensive business.

A PV facility for the plant has been in the works for a while, with it mentioned by North East Water back in 2017. When originally envisaged, the clean power station was to be 2MW.

The sewage treatment plant at West Wodonga accounts for 25% of the corporation’s total energy consumption and the use of solar power won’t just reduce its carbon emissions by an estimated 28%, but also put a significant dent in North East’s energy costs. Surplus electricity generated will be exported to the grid to help offset energy usage at other water facilities across the north-east.

“We currently source around 20% of our electricity from wind generated power from Ararat,” said North East Water Managing Director Craig Heiner. “When the solar farm comes online, 50% of the Corporation’s total daytime power consumption will come from green energy.”

Approximately 10,000 solar panels will be installed for the project, which will also use single axis tracking systems to increase solar electricity output.

North East Water say tenders will be issued in the coming months for the multi-million dollar project, which is to be constructed on Corporation owned land between Old Barnawartha Road and the Hume Highway at West Wodonga. It’s expected construction of the facility will start late this year and will take an estimated 18 months to complete.

North East water has committed to reducing its carbon emissions 42% within six years and pledged to achieve net-zero emissions before 2050.

Wodonga Council LGA’s Biggest Solar Farm?

This could also be the largest operating solar farm in the Wodonga Council local government area if North East gets a wriggle on – but perhaps for only a short time.

The Australian Photovoltaic Institute (APVI) notes three “large scale” solar facilities in the region, but all below 200kW. However, there is another in the works that would eclipse North East Water’s by quite a margin should it go ahead – Wodonga SOL 1. Current status of the 54W(AC) project is unknown.

Regardless, the Wodonga treatment plant project will certainly give a big boost to the LGA’s total solar capacity. APVI indicates an estimated total installed PV capacity of 16.9MW as at March this year; with the vast majority of that being solar power systems below 10kW capacity (12.7MW represented by 3,559 systems).