Danish multinational power company Ørsted has announced the immediate cessation of its supply of coal and biomass from Russian firms, as well as any possible new contracts following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to a company statement, Ørsted will also no longer consider any direct Russian suppliers for future renewable energy projects.
The Danish company is widely credited as being the world’s largest offshore wind power developer.
The announcement was made amidst similar moves by energy majors including neighbouring Norway’s state-supported Equinor, the Swedish energy company Vattenfall and global giants bp and Shell, each announcing the ending of their partnerships with Russian majors and cutting current and future operations in Russia.
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The company has not, however, ended its supply of natural gas from Gazprom to its home country of Denmark. According to a company statement, such a move would be better coordinated as part of sanctions at national and EU government levels, due to the possible severe impacts on basic human living conditions.
“Shortfalls in gas supplies will, as opposed to stopping supply of other types of products, have severe human and societal consequences and, therefore, need to be coordinated at EU and national levels rather than decided by individual companies,” the statement read. “Therefore, the dependency on Russian gas and any ban on import of gas from Russia needs to be decided and enforced by clear political sanctions.”
“Ørsted finds the situation deeply disturbing, not least the human suffering following the war in Ukraine. The Russian aggression goes against everything that Ørsted stands for, and we have therefore taken significant steps in accordance with our values as a company.”
“All potential EU or national sanctions impacting the gas supply will be fully supported and immediately executed,” the statement concluded.
