Contractors are putting the finishing touches on the new elephant facility, due to be finished by the end of the year.

The $4.3 million project includes a new three-stall elephant barn and two new paddocks over 7500 square metres. When complete, the facility will have three barns and five paddocks.

"It's fantastic we have this amazing facility to facilitate us being a key component within the Australasian breeding program for Asian elephants," Taronga Western Plains Zoo general manager Matthew Fuller said.

"The most the zoo's held here is five animals in the past, with the extension of facilities we'll initially have seven and in the future, more than that."

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The environment and safety for both elephants and their keepers had been a focus throughout construction, he said.

High among the sustainability initiatives was a 10kW solar system on the roof that would provide power to the facility, and water-saving devices.

"The barn has been constructed from a thermal mass concrete providing better insulation and has been designed to take advantage of natural sunlight to assist with heating and drying the barn throughout the year," Mr Fuller said.

Hydronic solar heating under the floor would heat sand beds for the elephants while the paddocks featured deep swimming pools, shade shelters and reinforced concrete tubes for the elephants to drink from.

"As part of the redevelopment the zoo's two existing elephant barns were also upgraded with a new heating system installed for the elephants during the winter months," Mr Fuller said.

Planning had already begun to bring four elephants from Taronga Zoo in March.

"We don't have a date yet, it will depend on the weather and making sure the conditions are right and that they are comfortable," Mr Fuller said.

"There's a lot involved in transporting elephants from Sydney to Dubbo. everything from having purpose-built crates to transport management plans, and ensuring animals are conditioned to be familiar with their crates."

"The animals will be given time to settle in once they arrive and become familiar with their new environment and keepers before going on exhibit," Mr Fuller said.

"Every animal has its own personality, sure some will be running around and checking it out, others might take time. The animals we've chosen bond well so they have that security of their known herd mates and also a number of keepers here have worked with them over time. We'll also have more keepers coming with the animals in March and those guys know their personalities and will be able to assist them with the transition."

When it came to the day the animals arrived in their new surroundings, Mr Fuller said he "wouldn't miss it for the world".

"And in years to come, who knows, there may be the pitter patter of little elephant feet and us making a meaningful contribution to the breeding program," he said.

"These elephants have bred previously, we'll be looking at breeding them when they're settled. A gestation period is about 22 months so we won't get calves immediately but planning has certainly commenced."