A GERMAN power company has unveiled plans to build a wind farm in the heart of rural Hampshire.

Under a controversial proposal, two 126.5-metre turbines will rise up in Wether Down on the crest of the South Downs National Park, near the village of East Meon.

On a clear day it’s anticipated the enormous rotating blades will be visible from the Solent and even the New Forest.

South Downs conservationists last night said they would fight the Mercury Wind Farm scheme, for which Volkswind unveiled the draft proposal at the weekend by Volkswind.

The firm, which is one of Europe’s biggest wind farm developers, claims the five megawatt wind farm would power the equivalent of 3,700 homes – saving about 7,400 tonnes in harmful carbon emissions.

Residents were told a planning application would be submitted to East Hampshire District Council during the summer. If approved, construction would begin as early 2011.

The development could provide a timely boost to the county’s economy, with possibility of local construction experts and project management consultants securing contracts.

It comes a week after turbine manufacturing company Vestas, which has plants in Southampton and on the Isle of Wight, announced it was shedding 700 jobs.

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Higher than average wind speeds, nearby grid connection, few nearby homes and limited visual impact are some of the reasons Volkswind says it chose the location.

However, South Downs chairman John Songhurst said the turbines would be a “blight” on the area’s natural beauty.

He said there was a danger that if the plans were approved it could set a precedent for a wave of wind farms being developed on the newly designated National Park.

“We will be challenging this scheme. Wind turbines pose a major threat to the beauty to the Downs,” he said.

Calls to Volkswind’s UK office in Manchester went unanswered yesterday.

A spokesman for the Campaign to Protect Rural England said it would vigorously oppose wind farm development in the South Downs.