Ørsted

Ørsted has a science-based target to reach net zero by 2040. The report frames this as aligned with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement and supported by SBTi-validated climate targets. Ørsted also states that it will continue reducing upstream and downstream emissions to deliver on its net-zero by 2040 target.

Ørsted has clear interim targets. It reports a 2030 target to reduce Scope 3 emissions from gas sales by around 67%, using 2018 as the base year, and a 2040 target to reduce those gas-sales emissions by around 90%. The company also reports strategic ambition figures showing Scope 1–3 GHG intensity falling from 322 gCO₂e/kWh in 2018 to 69 gCO₂e/kWh in 2025, with a 2040 target of <2.9 gCO₂e/kWh.

Ørsted discloses Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3. In 2025, Scope 1–2 GHG intensity was 4 gCO₂e/kWh, while Scope 1–3 intensity excluding Category 11 “use of sold products” was 69 gCO₂e/kWh. Scope 3 Category 11 emissions were 8.8 million tonnes CO₂e, up from 7.4 million tonnes in 2024, mainly due to higher gas sales linked to the ramp-up of the Tyra gas field and the sale of coal from storage after coal-based generation was shut down.

Ørsted is now explicitly focused on offshore wind in Europe and selected APAC markets. In 2025, it had 29.6 GW renewable capacity, consisting of 18.5 GW installed, 8.9 GW under construction / FID’ed, and 2.2 GW awarded. It also reports 10.2 GW installed offshore wind capacity and expects this to grow to more than 18 GW by the end of 2027 through its current 8.1 GW offshore wind construction programme.

Ørsted’s current emissions intensity is very low compared with most integrated utilities. In 2025, its Scope 1–2 GHG intensity was 4 gCO₂e/kWh. Including Scope 3, but excluding Category 11 use of sold products, its GHG intensity was 69 gCO₂e/kWh. The decrease was mainly due to the shutdown of coal-fired CHP plants in 2024.

Ørsted reports that it has reduced Scope 1–2 emissions intensity by more than 98% since 2006, describing 2025 as the year it became the first energy company to complete a green transformation of its own energy production. The company also reports that its renewable share of generation reached 99% in 2025, meeting its target for the year.

Ørsted provides EU Taxonomy disclosure and identifies five taxonomy-eligible activities: solar PV electricity generation, wind power electricity generation, electricity storage, bioenergy CHP, and high-efficiency CHP from fossil gaseous fuels. It states that solar, wind and storage activities fulfil substantial contribution criteria for climate change mitigation. Ørsted also states that all projects are taxonomy-aligned under its strategic ambitions, although the report text seen here is stronger on eligible/aligned activity logic than on a simple one-line capex / turnover / opex percentage summary.

Ørsted does not present water as a core OSW performance metric, but it does disclose water and marine-resource compliance through EU Taxonomy DNSH logic. For offshore wind, it states that environmental impact assessments are legally required for all projects and that construction of offshore wind should not hamper good environmental status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. It specifically references mitigation of offshore noise / energy impacts and states that it has a water policy and internal processes for legal compliance on water.

Ørsted provides very strong OSW asset-level evidence. Its 2025–2027 offshore construction programme totals 8.1 GW and includes Borkum Riffgrund 3: 913 MW, Hornsea 3: 2,852 MW plus 300 MW storage, Greater Changhua 2b and 4: 920 MW, Sunrise Wind: 924 MW, Revolution Wind: 704 MW, and Baltica 2: 1,498 MW. The report also notes that Sunrise Wind was about 45% complete, with 44 of 84 turbine foundations installed, while Revolution Wind was about 87% complete. External Ørsted sources further confirm Hornsea 3 at around 2.9 GW, enough to power more than 3.3 million UK homes, and identify it as expected to become the world’s largest single offshore wind farm.

Ørsted has strong OSW-relevant biodiversity and marine ecology evidence. The report highlights ReCoral by Ørsted™ at Greater Changhua in Taiwan, where corals were deployed at 30 metres depth in 2025 after three years of laboratory cultivation. It also reports biodiversity mapping at Anholt Offshore Wind Farm, including 12 3D-printed reefs installed in 2022, now covered with algae and used by species such as sea bass, sea squirts, crabs and starfish. In addition, Ørsted’s OSONIC low-noise monopile installation technology reduced installation noise by 99% in a Gode Wind 3 trial and moved into commercial phase in 2025.

Ørsted has a clear nature-positive target: it aims to deliver net-positive biodiversity impact from all new renewable energy projects commissioned from 2030 onwards. Its Biodiversity Policy applies to all owned and operated offshore and onshore sites and outlines how Ørsted approaches this net-positive biodiversity ambition. The company also identifies biodiversity as one of its three strategic sustainability priorities, alongside decarbonisation and community impact.

Ørsted reports that it has not yet set formal targets for resource use and circularity. However, it has a strong wind-specific landfill commitment: since 2023, Ørsted has committed to ensuring that no wind turbine blades or solar panels from its assets end up in landfill. In 2025, five blades were taken down and either sent for proper treatment or put into temporary storage until treatment. The company also tracks technical materials used in construction of new assets above 100 MW, including offshore wind turbines, foundations, substations, and array/export cables.

Ørsted’s embodied-carbon evidence is stronger than simple qualitative disclosure but not as directly quantified as Vattenfall’s low-emission steel case. The report identifies the second wave of its transition plan as supply-chain decarbonisation, focusing on hard-to-abate areas such as steel, aluminium, cement, concrete, maritime transport, heavy transport and component manufacturing. Ørsted engages suppliers through science-based targets, renewable electricity coverage and CDP reporting. Externally, Ørsted has also published work on low-emission steel and positions supplier decarbonisation as central to its 2040 net-zero target.

Ørsted has strong supplier governance and due diligence evidence. Its procurement process screens relevant offshore supplier categories through pre-qualification against its Code of Conduct and QHSE requirements. In 2025, Ørsted implemented code-of-conduct due diligence in procurement pre-qualification and piloted an AI-enabled adverse-media screening system for supplier screening before contract signing. It conducted 311 risk screenings, of which 39 required extended screenings. It also participates in IRMA and the International Responsible Business Conduct Agreement for the Renewable Energy Sector, and it piloted anonymous worker surveys to strengthen value-chain worker engagement.

Ørsted’s sustainability statements are prepared under CSRD and ESRS. External validation is strong: SBTi approved Ørsted’s strengthened pathway to its science-based 2040 net-zero target in 2025. External Ørsted materials also show strong ESG ratings, including MSCI AAA, Sustainalytics 24.5 / medium risk, ISS ESG B+ Prime, and EcoVadis Gold / top 5%. Ørsted also states externally that it received the highest possible CDP score for the seventh consecutive year, although its 2025 Green Finance Impact Report notes that the 2025 CDP scores were delayed pending CDP’s assessment.