RESIDENTS will be given the first opportunity to see plans for onshore works for a wind farm off Clacton.

The 110-metre high turbines will provide enough electricity to power more than 85,000 homes - enough to power all the homes in Clacton, Holland and Jaywick.

Electric cables from the 30-turbine Gunfleet Sand wind farm, which will be built five miles off the Clacton coast, will come ashore at Holland Haven.

Danish company Dong Energy Renewables will be displaying the plans for the onshore works at an exhibition at Holland public hall on Friday.

Frits Kristoffersen, project manager, said: "We are delighted to announce that the onshore construction phase of Gunfleet Sands Offshore wind farm will be starting in the last week of February.

"The construction will cover the onshore works and will include cable laying and associated work.

"We will be starting the offshore construction later this year, in September.

"This is our third offshore wind farm in Great Britain. The first phase consists of 30 offshore wind turbines, generating up to 108MW of clean energy, and preventing the release of thousands of tonnes of polluting carbon dioxide gas."

Electric cables from the wind farm will go from Holland Haven to the existing electricity substation at Cooks Green.

A spokesman for the company said a majority of the cable route passes through private and agricultural land.

Drilling will take place to install the cable under the seawall at Holland Haven, between the radar mast and Clacton Sailing Club, under Holland Bridge, Fan Bridge and under the railway line.

The drilling will take up to four weeks at each site and once completed the onshore cables will be installed. These will include three separate power cables and a smaller communications cable.