Offshore wind group Orsted sets 67% discount for $9.4 bln rights issue

COPENHAGEN, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Danish offshore wind developer Orsted ORSTED.CO has priced its $9.42 billion rights issue at 66.6 crowns ($10.46) per share, a 66.7% discount to the stock's closing price on Friday, as it shores up its finances in the face of mounting challenges.

The company has been grappling with supply chain disruptions, surging interest rates, project delays and U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-wind policies, leaving its share price down 85% from a January 2021 peak.

Earlier this month, Orsted won shareholder approval for the capital raise, which it needs to help fund U.S. projects thrown into uncertainty.

The company, which currently has 420 million shares outstanding, plans to add 901 million new shares in the rights issue, it said in a prospectus published on Monday.

At the heart of its financial struggles are the U.S. projects Sunrise Wind and Revolution Wind.

"Today ...we're initiating a rights issue, through which we intend to raise capital to cover the additional funding requirement related to Sunrise Wind and create a robust financial foundation for Orsted to realise the potential of our business," it said in a statement.

Two-thirds of the new capital is earmarked for Sunrise Wind, a project that saw potential co-investors flee after the White House ordered Norway's Equinor EQNR.OL to halt a neighbouring wind farm in April.

U.S. officials also issued a stop-work order last month against the nearly complete Revolution Wind project. The joint venture overseeing it subsequently filed a lawsuit against the administration.

The rights issue closes on October 2, with trading in the new shares set to start on October 10, Orsted said.

($1 = 6.3661 Danish crowns)