Harbour operators Peel Ports are laying down the foundations ahead of a big year for Great Yarmouth.

Work has started on strengthening the outer harbour quays to prepare for the construction of giant turbines as part of an upcoming multi-million pound windfarm project.

The seaward side of South Beach Parade is currently being levelled ahead of the arrival of turbine parts, set to arrive around March. Both the preparation and turbine construction stage is expected to bring a huge boost to the town's economy, creating many jobs.

The site will be the building hub to the construction of primary infrastructure and groundworks for the Galloper Wind Farm and East Anglia ONE Wind Farm projects.

Port director Richard Goffin said: 'It is a big step for us on an exciting road ahead. We have diggers and other machinery down there currently levelling the site and strengthening the outer harbour quays.

'The site itself will be the home to where the blades are stored for the Galloper project. Eventually we are looking to store 36, 75m blades.

'These planned infrastructure investments will benefit future windfarm developments and the wider energy sector for many years to come.'

Construction is set to include the delivery of a yard storage and marshalling area, as well as the installation of heavy-lift quay facilities.

Mr Goffin said: 'The size and scale of the equipment that will be handled is pretty impressive. This development work will ensure the facilities at Great Yarmouth are some of the best anywhere for delivering large-scale offshore windfarms.

'The boats transporting the blades will take three at a time. It will be a very big process but still very exciting for Great Yarmouth with the opportunities it will create and what it will provide in terms of renewable energy in the future.'

ScottishPower Renewables selected Peel Ports Great Yarmouth as its port of choice for the construction and installation activities for its £2.5bn East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm earlier this year.

The turbines for the project will be supplied and installed by Siemens, which also announced Great Yarmouth as the assembly and installation base for Galloper Wind Farm currently being constructed by innogy SE on behalf of the project partners.

Siemens will supply 56 six-megawatt turbines for Galloper Wind Farm and 102 seven-megawatt turbines for the East Anglia ONE Wind Farm, which will have the combined capacity to generate enough energy for up to 836,000 homes a year.

When complete, East Anglia ONE will have a lifespan of 30 years and is expected to provide enough renewable energy to meet the annual electricity demands of the equivalent of up to 500,000 homes by 2020. Construction will start in 2017, with the first turbines installed by 2019.

The Galloper Wind Farm is an extension of the existing and fully operational Greater Gabbard Wind Farm, situated off the coast of Suffolk. The wind farm is expected to commence operations in March 2018 and once operational will have an annual generation equivalent up to 336,000 average UK households.