Work has begun on the onshore infrastructure for a £2.5bn wind farm project, with East Anglian companies set to be involved.

Construction has begun in Bramford on a substation for ScottishPower Renewables' (SPR) East Anglia One project.

The site will distribute electricity from the farm off the Norfolk and Suffolk coast across the UK.

The news was revealed at an offshore wind week event at Orbis Energy in Lowestoft yesterday.

Works are being carried out in fields along the length of the 37km underground cable route to the substation, with designers, diggers and engineers all involved.

At least 50% of the £2.5bn project investment will be spent in the UK and SPR is working with several local companies to complete the work.

Companies involved in the project include Bramford-based traffic management firm Palmer Group, Kesgrave-based Tippers 'R' Us and Great Dunmow's SRC Aggregates. Paving is being supplied by Claydon-based Toppesfield, and there is support from local estate agents, cleaning companies and builders' merchants.

Scot Hewitt-Gudgin, of ScottishPower Renewables, said: 'We are really pleased to see the project progressing and providing jobs and investment locally and across the UK.

'It has always been our goal to work with as many local companies as possible, so it's fantastic to have such a number involved in the construction of East Anglia One already. The offshore wind sector in the UK is booming and the East of England is right at the heart of it.

Once fully operational the 102 turbine farm will provide enough energy to power the equivalent of almost 600,000 homes.

SPR was given planning consent for its East Anglia Three offshore windfarm in August, which will comprise 172 turbines.

Kevan Churchill, general manager of Palmer Group, said the project was 'really good news' for the region.

'We will be working on the project for the duration of the onshore construction works and at any one time we have between three and 16 local people working along the cable route undertaking traffic management services, providing signage and erecting fencing for site compounds,' he said.