Ørsted has entered a three-year partnership with Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and will make a contribution of more than GBP 200,000 to fund running costs of lifeboats at seven RNLI lifeboat stations across the UK.
Ørsted first joined forces with the RNLI in late 2015 to support six lifeboat stations over two years and has now extended the partnership to include the Skegness Lifeboat Station.
The developer currently has 10 operational offshore wind farms in the UK, with a further four in construction or development. These offshore wind farms are all located in areas corresponding to the seven RNLI stations: Barrow, Clacton-on-Sea, Humber, New Brighton, Ramsgate, Skegness, and Wells.
“As a charity, the RNLI relies on donations to be able to carry out its lifesaving work around the coast of the UK and Ireland,” said Paul Boissier , RNLI chief executive. “The donation from Ørsted has contributed to ensuring that the crew at these seven stations are ready to respond to emergency situations. The support from Ørsted will be felt most by our volunteer lifeboat crews and the people in the communities that we aim to protect, and we thank them for that.”
Matthew Wright , managing director at Ørsted UK, said: “We’re extremely proud to continue our partnership with the RNLI for another three years and help this amazing charity save lives at sea. As a company building major offshore wind projects to be the backbone of the UK’s future energy system, we understand the challenges faced by RNLI crews working out at sea, and we want to help these lifeboat stations continue operating safely and efficiently.”