Engineer Nil Caputi from the solar farm construction company Bouygues at the Goorambat solar farm site. The company has planted hundreds of trees on the site.
Developers of the new Goorambat solar farm, now under construction, are offering to contribute $75,000 annually to community projects.
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The French firm Engie is creating a community benefit fund, which is expected to be available after the solar farm begins generating electricity in early 2027.
The company said no decisions had yet been made about how the funds would be managed or what they would be spent on.
“Engie will begin to seek input from the local community on the set-up of this fund towards the end of this year,” a company spokesperson said.
Preliminary work has started at the site, south of the town, for the project, which will include more than half a million solar panels and will be larger than the one operating at Glenrowan.
Greg Gall, who has been involved in a number of community projects, said the offer to support the community would be welcomed.
He said there would probably be a number of community projects that could benefit from regular support.
“We would have to get a few people together to discuss the idea, perhaps form a board or something like that,” he said.
However, he said it was early days, as the funds would not be available until the solar plant began generating electricity.
An earthmoving company has started works on widening Goorambat-Chesney Rd, but the solar installation work is not expected to start until later this year.
The road is expected to be closed until some time in October, while the seal is extended to a 6.2 metre width, plus 1.5m shoulders, to accommodate trucks entering the site.
Landholder agreements with five local families have been signed for the 630 hectare site, according to Laura Caspari, the group's Australian renewables managing director.
“Once completed ... the solar farm could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 105,000 average Victorian homes, helping to bolster energy security in the state,” Ms Caspari said.
The project is expected to be completed in 2026. Engie acquired the project from fellow French company Neoen last year.
An aerial shot of the site of the new Goorambat solar farm.
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“The solar farm will make the most of an excellent solar resource and existing transmission infrastructure,” Ms Caspari said.
“And the project’s footprint has been optimised to incorporate expert advice, community input and guidance from authorities captured over years of best-practice engagement.”
Around 250 jobs are expected to be added during construction and Engie has previously announced energy bill rebates of up to $1000 for near neighbours over the life of the project.
The occasion marks Engie's return as an energy producer in Victoria, having closed its coal-fired Hazelwood plant in 2017 and selling its stake in the Loy Yang B plant the same year.
“We are genuinely thrilled, as Engie, to be putting megawatts on the ground in Victoria,” corporate affairs head Ryan Auger told AAP.
“Since we divested and closed those assets, we’ve been looking for opportunities to re-establish our credentials in what is essentially a foothold state for us.”
The company’s retail energy business has around 390,000 Victorian customers.
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