Powering people

The global transition to renewable energy is critical to counter climate change, tackle biodiversity loss, reduce air pollution, boost economic development –and deliver greater energy security. 

The scale and pace of the development of large infrastructure on land and at sea to support the energy transition is unprecedented. 

Inevitably, as green energy infrastructure expands, it touches local communities, environments and natural ecosystems. 

At Ørsted, the world’s leading offshore wind developer, our vision is to build a world that runs entirely on green energy. But we know we can’t do it alone; we need community support to succeed. 

To win that support, it’s vital that we demonstrate that we build green energy with both people and nature in mind. 

For us, proving that we can effectively contribute to community wellbeing is not a nice-to-have activity, it is imperative for our business’s long term prospects. 

Being a good neighbour – a strategic business priority

When we build green energy projects – we’re in it for the long haul. For instance, when we build an offshore wind farm, we invest up to 10+ years in the development and construction of the project, and once it’s built, we are present in our communities for 25 years in the maintenance and operation phases of the offshore wind farm. 

With over 30 years of experience developing offshore wind projects, we know that we only succeed if we create a socially sustainable business that brings economic, social, and environmental benefits to the local communities we work in.

Bringing value to communities brings value to us as a company and to the wider green energy transition. 

Community relationships are crucial for the support we need to secure required permits, while investments into community wellbeing helps us secure our future workforce, supply chain, and local renewable energy demand. 

To us, the social sustainability of our projects has to be managed as stringently as any other strategic business area – in order to drive the most value to communities.

We’ve therefore developed a community impact approach that aims to maximize value for communities and builds on key pillars of action, measurement, and collaboration. 

Impactful community investments where it matters

The core to our approach is making sure that we invest in the future of the local communities where we construct and operate our projects by building long-term relationships through engagement activities and community investments.

Our ambition is to help foster thriving communities that can share the benefits of the green transition through skills training, apprenticeships, and supply chain engagement, as well as the broader positive impacts we can make through our investments into local eco-systems restoration, public infrastructure or addressing some of the most pressing social issues in a specific area.

Depending on local needs, that support includes community benefit funds, partnerships and support for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education. Our four community benefit funds in the UK have so far awarded over £11.5 million to more than 800 local social and environmental projects. In the Humber region alone, we’ve invested more than £45 million directly into local community, education and skills development.

An example of us addressing some of the most pressing social issues in a specific area is our support of Onside’s Horizon Youth Zone in Grimsby. The state-of-the art, purpose-built youth centre is designed to inspire and support Grimsby’s young people to lead healthier and happier lives.

Our £1 million investment in the Youth Zone is an investment in Grimsby’s future and the regeneration of the area. In turn, a thriving community is crucial to the longevity of our business in the area as we depend on the local workforce, services, and community support for our presence.

Our outreach extends to restoring coastal ecosystems to mitigate climate change and support biodiversity. In the Humber Estuary, we’ve teamed up with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust on the Wilder Humber project to restore seagrass and salt marsh and introduce half a million native oysters to improve the health and resilience of the estuary’s ecosystem.

In other areas, we have also been exploring co-ownership of renewable energy assets which could allow an even broader spread of benefits in a community.