Economy

Brazil braces for offshore wind boom

Regulatory advances mean Brazil is getting closer to exploiting its offshore wind potential. But the sector is not currently being developed in line with socio-environmental sustainability, civil society advocates say

Brazil braces for offshore wind boom
Brazilian wind farm along the Maranhão Atlantic coast. Photo: Juerginho/Shutterstock

Offshore wind is the latest buzzword among energy companies in Brazil, with the first Offshore Wind Summit hosted in Rio de Janeiro in June by the Global Wind Energy Council and Abeeólica, Brazil’s national wind energy association.

International oil giant Shell told conference attendees that it is in the process of applying for environmental licenses to operate offshore wind power projects with a combined capacity of 17 gigawatts in six areas in Brazilian waters.

Earlier this month Corio Generation, a subsidiary of Australian financial services company Macquarie, announced plans to construct five offshore wind parks in partnership with Brazilian company Servtec Energia.

Even Petrobras, Brazil’s oil and gas giant, which has historically shown little interest in transitioning away from fossil fuel exploration, speaks of analyzing the viability of offshore wind as “an alternative for our company in the long term.”

The bottom line is, interest in Brazil’s offshore wind market is growing.

“There is a lot of interest on the investor side, they are developing projects,” says Abeeólica president Elbia Gannoum.

Brazil has around 700 gigawatts of offshore wind potential, according to calculations by EPE, the government’s energy research company....

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