A further £8m of new contracts has been awarded to businesses across the region to help deliver a major wind farm project off the coast of East Anglia.

An announcement by two energy companies driving the East Anglia Offshore Wind Zone project revealed 28 firms across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex have now secured work on the proposed development 27 miles off the coast of Suffolk – a move that will support 100 local jobs.

It takes the total value of contracts awarded to businesses in the east to £15m. But while the EDP understands that this accounts for around 20pc of all the contracts awarded to date, what remains unclear is how many of the contracts have been awarded to Norfolk and Suffolk businesses.

It comes after previous reports by developers Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables revealed that the wind farm could deliver £500m to the region's economy and 1,600 construction jobs if granted planning permission by the government next year.

According to the operators, construction could begin onshore as early as 2016 with offshore construction beginning the following year. It is estimated that it may generate enough energy to power about 700,000 homes in the UK.

The development, known as East Anglia One, will require up to 325 wind turbines and covers an area of 300km2 in the southern North Sea.

Andy Paine, East Anglia programme director, said: 'East Anglia Offshore Wind Farm is already good news for the East Anglian economy with more than £15m contracted with the region's business – an investment that is supporting more than 100 jobs.'

Meanwhile, Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney, said: 'I welcome ScottishPower Renewables' and Vattenfall's commitment to the region and it is important that, working with them, everything possible is done to ensure that local people and local businesses benefit from this. This means ensuring that the necessary investment is made in both skills and infrastructure and local businesses are in the best possible position to bid successfully for contracts.'

The UK government – through The Crown Estate – is supporting the development of up to 32GW of offshore wind generation in British waters.