THE company behind Walney Offshore Wind Farm is making up to £15m available to support community and environmental projects around Morecambe Bay.

Danish firm Dong Energy has set up the Walney Extension Community Benefit Fund as part of its community engagement programme for an extension that will make Walney the world's biggest offshore windfarm. 

Around £500,000 will be available to support community and environmental projects for each of the 25 years that the extension will operate.

An additional £100,000 will be ring-fenced annually for a skills fund.

This will support educational and training initiatives to equip people for working in engineering industries such as offshore wind. Details of how the cash is to be managed will be announced over the next few months.

Brent Cheshire, UK chairman for Dong Energy said: “This fund recognises the long-term relationship which the Walney extension offshore windfarm has with the region.

“We believe it is important to support local communities in the areas around our developments and the new fund gives us an opportunity to make a difference.”

He added: “We rely on local co-operation through the construction phase of such a major infrastructure project and, although the wind farm will be located well off the coast, the establishment of an operations and maintenance team based in the region will provide long-term local recruitment opportunities.”

The community fund will be managed by the charity Grantscape. 

Applications for grants of between £500 and £75,000 must be from community and environmental organisations located in coastal areas in areas from Seascale in west Cumbria to Fleetwood in Lancashire.

A detailed map, searchable by postcode, showing these areas as well as details of how to apply is online at www.grantscape.org.uk/fund/walney-extension-community-fund.

The extension to Walney is due to be completed by 2019. The electricity output of the enlarged windfarm will be 660MW, enough to supply at least 460,000 homes.