Ørsted has allocated grants from the sixth round of its East Coast Community Fund, marking a milestone with the total funds awarded exceeding the million pound mark.
The East Coast Community Fund was launched in December 2016 as part of Ørsted’s community engagement program for its Hornsea Project One and Race Bank offshore wind farms.
In this sixth round of funding, seventeen organizations from Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and North Norfolk were awarded grants.
So far, the East Coast Community Fund has donated more than GBP 1.1 million to more than 95 projects.
“We’re extremely pleased to be able to support local community groups who are making a real difference to the people in their area,” said Imran Nawaz , Stakeholder Advisor and Community Benefit Fund Manager for Ørsted.
“We have already seen over one million pounds make a huge impact on deserving projects in the regions and with each additional round of funding, we look forward to finding out which groups benefit from the donated funds.”
Each year, until 2037, approximately GBP 390,000 will be available from the main fund to support a wide range of community and environmental projects.
There are two application rounds each year for groups to apply, with the next closing date being 5 February 2020.
The Race Bank wind farm comprises 91 6MW Siemens Gamesa turbines and two offshore substations which were officially put into operation in June 2018 offshore North Norfolk.
Hornsea Project One comprises 174 7MW Siemens Gamesa turbines located some 120km off the Yorkshire coast. The 1.2GW project is slated for the full commissioning in 2020.