Victoria’s Energy Minister has launched the second funding round for a new 1.5 megawatt solar power plant near Mildura.
Work started on the $400 million Solar Systems power station at Carwarp, south of Mildura, earlier this year.
The latest round of $10 million in funding from the State Government will allow the plant’s construction to begin in earnest.
Minister Michael O’Brien says he expects the project to showcase solar energy.
“This new 1.5 megawatt power plant will really demonstrate its scale - that large scale solar can work, the technology works and establishing these plants is actually proving on the ground that they work,” he said.
“[It] is really a massive step forward towards creating a new solar industry for that part of Victoria.”
The Member for Mildura, Peter Crisp, has welcomed the announcement and says it is a milestone in the plant’s development.
“Part of that development that makes it so critical at this stage is that they are now getting ready to start construction in Mildura,” he said.
“Those who have been out will see that it’s fenced, there’s a road area, there’s loading bays - there’s a whole lot of work being done but now you’ll start to see the parabolic dishes being assembled on site, as it now starts to move into that larger scale project.”
