Construction engineers will be engaging with the local supply chain and wider community after scooping an early onshore £2.5m Vattenfall contract.

Specialist engineering and construction firm J Murphy & Sons is set to carry out scoping work on the onshore cable installation for Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone - one of the largest offshore wind zones in the world off the county's east coast. It has also been selected as preferred bidder for the future construction works contract.

The company will scope the 60km cable route for Norfolk Boreas from landfall at Happisburgh to an onshore substation at Necton.

It will be carrying out site investigations and design work, including surveys, boreholes and small trial pits along the cable route to get a detailed idea of ground conditions.

It will also be engaging with local contractors and businesses to help deliver the works as part of Vattenfall’s drive to involve local businesses and communities. This was "an essential part" of delivering the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone and its "ambitious" supply chain and skills and employment plans, said Vattenfall, a Swedish state-owned energy company.

The contractors will also be working with local colleges to find young people who want to join the sector.

This is the first phase of Vattenfall’s plan to turn East Anglia into what it describes as "a powerhouse of renewable energy" and is essential to ensure onshore works progress as efficiently as possible, it said. The focus will be on sustainable design, minimising the use of materials.

Vattenfall's Norfolk Zone project director Rob Anderson said: “We’re taking the project into the next phase so we’re delighted to have J. Murphy & Sons on board, helping us to deliver the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone. Their expertise will be invaluable, as will their focus on boosting the local economy by supporting jobs and growth in the region.”

J Murphy & Sons operations director Andy Ingram said the London-based company was "delighted" to bring its expertise and experience to bear on the project and "play our part in developing sustainable and secure energy sources for the UK market".

“The award of the early contractor involvement contract marks the next step of our journey with Vattenfall, the local supply chain and wider community in delivering this essential piece of green energy infrastructure," he said.