THE public can have their say on plans to build a giant wind farm the size of Anglesey off the Hampshire coast.

Dutch-based Eneco is staging an exhibition of its proposal to construct 200 wind turbines rising 145 metres from the water west of the Isle of Wight.

The £175m scheme will generate enough electricity to power about 500,000 homes and is expected to bring more than 2,000 jobs to the area.

However, the huge farm will be just 12 miles from the New Forest coast and is likely to spark objections from environmental groups.

Residents will be given a chance to comment on the scheme when Eneco unveils its proposals at an exhibition in Lymington next month.

People who want to learn more about the plan will be able to study information about the project and question members of the development team.

If the scheme goes ahead, construction work is likely to start in 2016.

The turbines will be up to 183m tall with 126m-wide blades. Some are due to sit in water 38m deep, but that will still leave structures above the surface that are taller than Salisbury Cathedral.

Southampton City Council has backed the proposal. However, conservation groups such as the Solent Protection Society and the New Forest Association could object if they believe the development would be too dominant.

Earlier this year, Guy Madgwick, Eneco’s director of business, sought to downplay the potential impact of the turbines, saying: “They will only be seen far in the distance on a clear day.”

Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne has also called for an increase in wind turbines.

As reported in the Daily Echo, the Energy Secretary stressed the need for Britain to become more independent in energy production.

There are currently around 250 wind farms operating in the UK, with a further 12 offshore. The 3,000 turbines have the capacity to generate 4,580mw of electricity, in theory enough to power more than 2.5 million homes.

However, they produce far less due to the unpredictable nature of wind and inefficiencies in the generation process.

The exhibition will be at St Thomas’s Church Hall, Lymington, on November 11 from 2.30-8.30pm.