The long-awaited Apco station on Moorefield Park Drive will open next week.

Mr Dawson said while fuel prices were hard to predict, having a new independent station could lower prices.

“I think we’ll see a change in Albury-Wodonga when we open,” he said.

“I can’t tell you what our opening price will be but it will be very competitive.”

Melbourne stations were this week selling fuel for as low as 126.9 cents a litre, while Albury Wodonga averaged about 150 cents.

“We’re pretty keen to get the business, so we’ll be very competitive,” Mr Dawson said.

“You can’t predict the price of fuel — something could happen next week and it could go up or come down.”

Planning for the multimillion-dollar station, which has a small IGA supermarket, started several years ago.

Early plans for a large carwash were abandoned.

Mr Dawson said it had taken about a year to build the station, which has a kitchen and a drive-through coffee window.

“There’s $350,000 in stock,” he said.

“We’ve 36 cameras at the station as a deterrent to thieves.

“We will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so we don’t believe we really need security alarms.”

Land for the station was bought in 2009 and plans lodged in 2011.

Apco director Peter Anderson said the building had cost about $3.5 million.

He said pressure from Coles and Woolworths had forced many independent fuel providers to close.

He was confident another player would lower Border prices.

He said the site would open on Tuesday or Wednesday.