Ørsted has awarded ten local organizations around Liverpool Bay, the UK, with grants from the milestone tenth round of the Burbo Bank Extension Community Fund.
This latest round takes the total number of projects supported to 126, with total funds awarded now standing at over GBP 1.1 million since the fund launched in May 2015.
The awards coincided with Ørsted announcing temporary changes to the funding criteria in response to the current global Covid-19 emergency.
For the next two funding rounds, applications are being encouraged to support communities through the crisis and road to recovery.
“It’s been a remarkable five years in the life of the Community Fund. The purpose of our Community Funds is to create a lasting positive impact and we’re incredibly proud to have been able to support the 126 successful projects, who are all striving to make a difference in the local community,” said Imran Nawaz , Stakeholder Advisor & Community Benefit Fund Manager for Ørsted.
The closing date for the next round of applications is 23 September.
Each year for the expected 25 year lifetime of the Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm, approximately GBP 225,000 will be made available for community projects.
The 258 MW project consists of 32 MHI Vestas 8 MW turbines located 7km offshore Liverpool. It was fully commissioned in May 2017, when it became the first commercial wind farm to feature 8 MW turbines.