The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) has entered into a partnership agreement with Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind to improve communications between the commercial fishing industry and offshore wind energy developers.
The non-binding partnership is designed to give commercial fishermen the opportunity to provide direct input to the wind energy industry on matters of significant interest to their businesses. RODA is located from midcoast Maine to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
“Partnering with Ørsted is a significant step forward as we look to strengthen our ongoing dialogue between commercial fishermen and offshore wind developers,” says Annie Hawkins, RODA’s executive director. “RODA believes that we need to develop solutions for offshore wind energy and commercial fishing to coexist, and today’s announcement will support future sustainability for both industries.”
“We are proud to be the first offshore wind developer to partner with RODA, which is an important part to the future of offshore wind,” adds Thomas Brostrøm, CEO of Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind. “The fishing community must be considered as offshore wind development continues in the U.S. Through this partnership, we will be able to share our concerns in a productive way and develop practical solutions as we all seek to coexist and thrive for a better tomorrow.”
A core component of the partnership will be the creation of a joint task force to explore improved approaches to project siting, design and operations. Ørsted and RODA strongly encourage other offshore wind developers and commercial fishermen to join the partnership.
