New depot to help power a growing Echuca region

The depot is being built at a two-hectare site at 86 McKenzie Rd and will replace the existing Mundarra Rd facility – part of which is a former Telstra depot used by Powercor crews for the past 18 years.

This facility being built specifically for Powercor’s needs will provide room for expansion and includes an office space and an undercover truck area measuring more than 2400m.

It will also provide improved storage for network materials and vehicles, as well as better design for traffic flow.

Local tradespeople and material suppliers are supporting the build.

Powercor has 23 field crew and employees based in Echuca, servicing tens of thousands of customers across the Campaspe Shire including Rochester, Lockington, Elmore, Colbinabbin, Mitiamo, Dingee, Pyramid Hill, Cohuna, Gunbower and Leitchville.

In 2023 alone, Powercor’s Echuca crews conducted more than 400 new connections and customer requests for alterations to their power supply, and responded to more than 900 network events that occurred for a range of reasons, including extreme weather, animals and vehicle collisions.

Powercor’s Head of Procurement and Property Leigh Wilson said the development highlighted Powercor’s long-term commitment to the region.

“The new depot will be the central hub for our operations in the growing Echuca region and will be critical to supporting our crews to continue to manage and respond to requests and faults safely and quickly,” he said.

“With more network materials able to be stored on-site this can mean faster response times.

“Our teams are part of the Echuca and Rochester communities, and this facility will provide us the space we need to best serve our customers.”

Powercor’s Echuca Field Leader Hadyn Edwards said he and his team were looking forward to the build being completed.

“It’s great knowing we’ve got room to expand as the region grows. It’ll also make life a lot easier, with extra storage for our trucks and our gear,” he said.

“We’re now going to have vehicles completely undercover, which will make a world of difference for our crews.”

It’s expected Powercor’s Echuca employees will move into the new depot by the end of the year.