A public meeting for people to have their say on a proposed renewable energy plant will be held next week.

The exhibition will be held over two days and will provide detail on plans to build a biomass plant at Snetterton Heath, near the A11.

Members of the project team will be available to answer questions and listen to views before a planning application is submitted.

Applicant Iceni Energy say the plant would generate 40MWe of electricity a year by burning straw and wood chip. They say it would cut emissions of carbon dioxide and could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 65,000 homes.

Founder and managing director of Iceni Energy Andy Hilton said: 'We are pleased to invite residents to come and see first-hand our plans for a new biomass renewable energy plant. We look forward to working with the local community and are keen to hear people's views.

'The proposal is an excellent opportunity to generate secure, reliable and sustainable energy that will help to keep the lights on for homes and businesses in the east, as well as contribute to the region's energy targets.'

He went on to say the proposed Snetterton Biomass Plant would provide up to 36 permanent jobs when operational, a further 50 jobs in fuel transportation and, during construction, an average of 120 people would be employed on site each day.

The plant could help unlock Breckland Council's plans to double the current 30ha of business and light industry at Snetterton Heath - including further development of Snetterton Race Circuit - which is currently constrained by the lack of spare capacity in existing electricity. The biomass plant could provide a connection to the national grid.

It is hoped all straw could be sourced from 50km of the plant and it is expected the plant would consume 4,800 tonnes of straw per week.

The meeting will be held on June 24 from 2pm-8pm, and on June 25 from 10am-4pm, at The Garnier Village Hall, Station Road, Eccles.