Two solar farms near Gunnedah are in the works and could be online within 12 months.
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Gunnedah Solar Farm and Orange Grove Solar Farm were approved last year and are moving towards construction.
The proponent of Gunnedah Solar Farm, Canadian Solar wants to start building the $200 million farm on Orange Grove Road by April.
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Project development manager Chelsea Milles said the bulk of paperwork was completed and now "we're working through detailed designs and satisfying all of the conditions under development approval".
Roadworks will need to be carried out to provide access to the site and Ms Milles said the company was in talks with Gunnedah Shire Council to obtain permits and prepare a traffic management plan.
"We could potentially try and get it done in March [but] it all depends on turnaround time," Ms Milles said.
Ms Milles said Canadian Solar would announce the successful tenderer for early construction works in February but was open to hearing from local businesses that would like to be involved in the project.
The 110-megawatt project will call for mechanical, civil and electrical contractors, along with earth works, labour, fencing, traffic control and security.
"We've had quite a lot of in from various local businesses wanting to get involved," Ms Milles said.
"There are heaps of different opportunities. We're committed to trying to use as many local businesses and people as we can.
"We're happy for people to get in touch."
Ms Milles said there could potentially be a couple of hundred people on site during the construction phase and this would mean flow-on effects for Gunnedah businesses.
"For the duration of the project there will be definite benefits for the community," she said.
Nearby, Overland Sun Farming is preparing to build Orange Grove Solar Farm in early 2021.
Managing director Brett Thomas said the company was up to its elbows in technical studies and paperwork.
"We're largely focused on ... completing various studies and technical requirements to be able to connect the project, once it's built, to the Gunnedah electrical network," he said.
"We hope to get into construction this year but we can never put timeframes on things because steps are very detailed and we have to do go through processes and approvals.
"The projects take a long time and I guess that's a challenge for both the communities and people involved in the projects."
Background on Orange Grove Road Solar Farm
The $130 million solar farm was given the green light in July despite objections from locals.
The state's Independent Planning Commission (IPC) determined to approve, subject to conditions, the 110-megawatt solar farm after the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment referred the state significant development (SSD) application in April amid community opposition.
Background on Gunnedah Solar Farm
The $200 million project was approved by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) in March, subject to conditions.
The Department of Planning listed the project as "approvable" in November 2018 and referred the final decision to the IPC because the department received more than 25 public objections to the solar farm and associated infrastructure.
The 302-hectare solar farm will be constructed within an existing 763-hectare farm on Orange Grove Road, and sheep grazing will continue in the solar farm area.
The original proponent was Photon Energy. The company entered into a co-development agreement with Canadian Solar two years ago and in August 2019, Canadian Solar took over completely.
