Orsted fires CFO and COO

HELSINKI (Reuters) -Denmark's Orsted on Tuesday said its chief financial officer and the chief operating officer will both step down with immediate effect after the offshore wind farm developer reported large financial losses earlier this month.

The search for successors for Chief Financial Officer Daniel Lerup and Chief Operating Officer Richard Hunter will begin immediately, Orsted added.

"The board of directors and I have agreed with our current CFO and COO that we need new and different capabilities," CEO Mads Nipper said in a statement.

The Danish company, the world's largest offshore wind developer, in Nov. 1 scrapped two U.S. offshore wind projects, flagging $5.6 billion in related impairments as costs ballooned due to rising interest rates and supply bottlenecks.

Rasmus Errboe, who has been with Orsted since 2012 and runs the company's European operation, will serve as interim CFO.

"Together with the finance team and the group executive team, Rasmus Errboe will lead the work on supporting Orsted's capital structure and long-term commitment to its credit rating," the company said.

(Reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Terje Solsvik, Louise Rasmussen)