Ørsted Publishes ‘Offshore Wind Biodiversity Policy’

Ørsted’s offshore wind farms and their transmission infrastructure can interact with marine and coastal ecosystems, raising concerns around their impacts on these ecosystems. The company strives to maintain a successful track record of

“Renewable energy plays a major role in mitigating climate change and the threat it poses to biodiversity. At the same time, it is important to protect biodiversity at our wind farm projects and sites,” says Hans Lyhne Borg, Head of Environment, Consents & Property at Ørsted.

That's the reason for the company to publish their policy and make their wrk transparent. “Our biodiversity policy formalizes and makes it transparent that Ørsted takes responsibility for the natural environment, and that we actively engage with all relevant stakeholders and operate within all relevant regulations, for the protection of species and habitats,” he adds.

“The increasing demand for energy is driving rapid changes on our planet. Animals are under pressure, corals are dying, and plants are perishing. Nature, underpinned by biodiversity, provides a wealth of services that has built modern society, with its benefits and luxuries, and we will continue to need these natural resources to survive and thrive,” says Bo Øksnebjerg, Secretary General of WWF. That's why the organisation has become a partner of Ørsted. “It is imperative that we all take on the responsibility of protecting the planet’s biodiversity. And so, we are very pleased that Ørsted is assuming a great part of this responsibility in their work with offshore wind farms going forward,” he adds.

At the moment, Ørsted focuses on three areas for biodiversity impacts:

• Potential noise impact on marine mammals from installation of wind turbine foundations 
• Potential impact on birds’ migration routes and feeding grounds from wind turbines
• Potential impact on seabed ecosystems and coastal environments from installation of transmission cables