Major construction works on a solar farm in northern Victoria are set to begin after the project reached final agreement.
French energy giant ENGIE announced the milestone for the 250-megawatt Goorambat East Solar Farm, between the regional hubs of Shepparton and Wangaratta.
Landholder agreements with five local families have been signed and early works, mostly roadworks, have already begun, 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.
“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 a community benefit fund of $75,000 per year and energy bill rebates of up to $1000 for nearby 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.
ENGIE is still the licence-holder on the Hazelwood mine and plant site, and plans to rehabilitate the mine into a full pit lake are before the state planning department.
"There's a fairly comprehensive process on the planning and regulatory side," Mr Auger said, adding community consultation on the plan was ongoing.
"We expect it will be probably the next year, year and a half, before we reach the next milestone."
