The civils element of the overall £500m waste handling scheme for Norfolk is expected to be worth around £35m.

Before work can start, Norfolk County Council must still approve the incinerator project, which is expected to create over 1,000 jobs during the 32-month construction phase.

David Brothers, business development manager at Bam Nuttall, said: “We are very pleased to have been selected to deliver the civil engineering work for the proposed Willows power and recycling centre at King’s Lynn.

“We are liaising with existing suppliers of goods and building service, but we’re also keen to speak with firms from across Norfolk and the eastern region about a range of subcontracting opportunities.”

Paul Green of Cory Wheelabrator consortium added: “We are delighted to make this appointment as we’re committed to working with local businesses. “

“This is just the start of numerous contract awards which we hope will be available to local businesses in the future.

“I’d urge all businesses interested in working with us to get in touch as soon as possible. We will shortly be hosting two business open days at the Eco-Tech Centre in Swaffham, where business leaders can find out more about the project, the skills and experience we are looking to hire.”

The open days are being held on Thursday from 4pm to 8pm and Friday from 7.30am to 10pm. The registration deadline is this morning, for more information email: [email protected]

The Willows power and recycling centre on the Saddlebow industrial estate is capable of handling 268,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste from across Norfolk each year.