In its first year of activity, RWE’s community benefit fund enables eight public-interest projects led by local associations to be carried out. The fund’s board of directors selected the 2025 beneficiary projects after reviewing 31 proposals addressing topics such as biodiversity, local heritage, energy transition and public awareness of climate and energy issues.
A total of €120,000 will be awarded, financed by three wind farms with a combined installed capacity of 60 megawatts (MW): the Catillon-Fumechon wind farm (21.6 MW, six turbines) in the municipality of Catillon-Fumechon in the Oise department; the Catésis–Bois Marronnier wind farm (28.8 MW, eight turbines), located in the municipalities of Troisvilles and Reumont in the Nord department, both in the Hauts-de-France region; and the Ormesnils wind farm (9.6 MW, two turbines) in Ronchois, Seine-Maritime, in the Normandy region.
The eight selected projects will result in tangible local initiatives, such as the purchase of a shared electric vehicle, support for the remaining costs of energy-efficient renovations for low-income households, restoration work on a church, the preservation of natural sites, the installation of photovoltaic panels on municipal buildings, and environmental awareness activities in schools. These initiatives will directly benefit the municipalities located within the scope of the community benefit fund.
Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia: “RWE is committed to supporting the regions in which it operates. The RWE Community Benefit Fund brings this commitment to life by funding local initiatives that deliver tangible benefits to residents. The eight projects selected in the first year clearly demonstrate the ecological transition in action: they are local, concrete, and designed to benefit the community.”
A new call for projects to be launched at the end of 2025
The community benefit fund is intended to have a lasting impact by supporting projects throughout the operational lifetime of RWE’s wind farms. The next call for projects will be announced at the end of the year. In addition to the existing wind farms, funding will be extended to two new sites in the Somme and Marne departments. This will enable local initiatives in Hauts-de-France and expand into the Grand Est region.
