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Offshore Wind Power Can Drive Brazil Towards a Sustainable Future. This Source of Offshore Energy Could Bring 700 GW of Installed Capacity to the Country.
The world ended the last year with an installed capacity of 57.2 GW of offshore wind energy, and Brazil still does not have such projects in operation. However, it is only a matter of time before projects emerge that keep the country among the cleanest electricity matrices in the world, moving towards a low-carbon economy.
National Offshore Wind Energy Could Exceed 700 GW
The sector had 2021 as its best year in history, with 2.1 GW added to the grid, three times more compared to 2020. Only China was responsible for 80% of this expansion. However, the potential of Brazilian offshore wind energy for power generation could exceed 700 GW, according to the Energy Research Company (EPE).
From the northeast to the south, offshore energy projects are being planned along almost the entire national coast. At this moment, there are over 170 GW of offshore wind energy projects under analysis at Ibama. For comparison, this is almost the entire installed capacity the country has to meet its energy demands.
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China surprised the world by transforming mountains into a 3.6 GW “water battery” with 12 reversible 300 MW turbines, pumping water uphill when there is surplus energy and returning electricity to the grid when wind and sun disappear.
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For the first time in history, 900 quilombola and riverine families in Marajó will have electricity — teams take solar panels by boat to communities without roads.
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In 80 years building 22 thousand dams, Brazil impacted more than 4 million people — and the law approved in 2024 to protect those affected has not yet come into effect.
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China is building 5 cascade dams for $167 billion in Tibet — and the Motuo Project will have 70 GW of capacity, three times more than the world’s current largest power plant.
The Brazilian Wind Energy Association (Abeeólica) is eager for the regulatory guidelines for offshore energy procurement to be released. According to Elbia Gannoum, the association’s executive president, it actively contributes to the economic and regulatory structuring to attract investments and believes that next year it will be possible to hold the first auction.
Companies Are Eyeing Brazil for Offshore Wind Energy Market Expansion
Investors in the offshore energy generation sector range from traditional companies in the field to large oil companies looking to meet energy transition demands and diversify their businesses.
Companies such as Equinor, Neoenergia, Shell, Ocean Wind, and many others have offshore wind energy projects. Vestas, a company that produces wind turbines, is motivated by the sector and set records in Brazil with the installation of 2 GW of turbine deliveries onshore.
The company claims to see the offshore energy market as a new business front in Brazil and is already preparing to meet future demands.
Offshore Wind Energy Can Impact Biodiversity
All this potential from offshore energy comes with a warning, considering that projects of this kind are not fully understood and can impact marine biodiversity and economic activities such as fishing.
According to Nicole Oliveira, executive director of the International Arayara Institute, there needs to be rigor and seriousness in environmental impact studies and social leadership in decision-making, considering that it is a recent technology in Brazil.
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