Brazilian State Signs Offshore Wind MoU with Neoenergia

September 13, 2023, by Adnan Memija

Neoenergia, Iberdrola’s renewable energy development arm in Brazil, and the Rio Grande do Norte Government have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the development of offshore wind projects.

The MoU was signed 14th edition of Brazil Windpower and the ceremony was attended by Neoenergia’s director of Hydraulics and Offshore, Marcelo Lopes, and the governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Fátima Bezerra.

The company and the local government agreed to conduct studies regarding the production of offshore wind generation in the state’s coastal region.

Lopes outlined that the first step toward the growth of the offshore wind market in Brazil is the definition of a regulatory framework.

“This is fundamental for the development of the value-added industrial chain and the valorization of the source’s socio-environmental attributes. We also consider that the milestone will be important for legal-regulatory security and predictability for investors,” said Lopes.

In July, Brazil’s Ministry of Mining and Energy and Energy Research Office (EPE) published a new version of the country’s offshore wind map following updates of the regulatory framework for energy generation.

First published in 2020, the roadmap identifies 700 GW of offshore wind potential off Brazilian states’ coasts, while World Bank’s estimates from 2019 put the country’s technical potential at 1,228 GW: 748 GW for floating wind and 480 GW for fixed-bottom.

When it comes to Neoenergia, this is the fourth signing of a memorandum of understanding carried out by the firm for the development of offshore wind in Brazil.

The company is conducting studies to evaluate the feasibility of developing offshore wind projects in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, and Ceará.