THE company behind a massive wind power scheme off the coast of East Anglia is about to unveil the first details of its plans, including the route of cabling to connect the development to the national power network.

East Anglia Offshore Wind (EAOW) has conducted extensive technological and environmental surveys for a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) which it is required to produce ahead of a formal planning application.

The document, relating to East Anglia ONE, which involves an area around 25 miles off the coast of Suffolk and represents the first of six phases of development in the Southern North Sea region, details the route of offshore cables, landfall points, the preferred location of an onshore converter station and the preferred route for onshore cabling, which will be underground.

Copies of the PEIR will be available for inspection from today (February 10) until March 30 at the main county library in Ipswich and at the libraries in Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Hadleigh, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.

'Drop in' events, at which members of the East Anglia ONE project team will be available to answer queries, are also being held on Monday, February 20 at the Hotel Victoria in Lowestoft, Tuesday, February 21 at Woodbridge Library, Wednesday, February 22 at the Church Rooms in Bramford, near Ipswich, and Thursday, February 23 at the Orwell Hotel in Felixstowe. Each session will run from 1pm until 7pm.

EAOW programme director Jason Martin said: 'We are committed to listening to what the public and other local stakeholders think about our plans and answering any questions they might have.

'This is a remarkable project that offers significant potential benefits in terms of jobs, growth and investment for the region and we want to make sure local people are fully aware of what to expect.'

EAOW is a 50-50 joint venture between ScottishPower Renewables and Swedish group Vattenfall, The East Anglia zone has the potential to deliver 7,200 MegaWatts of power, equal to the needs of five million households, with phase one accounting for 1,200MW.