Two Offshore Wind Energy Projects in Ceará Are Canceled by ANEEL Due to Environmental Risks to the Region’s Flora and Fauna

Aneel Is Extinguishing Projects That Do Not Comply With Regulations and May Harm Brazilian Fauna and Flora. In Ceará Alone, Two Offshore Wind Energy Projects Have Already Been Extinguished

On Friday (8), two of the nine offshore wind energy exploration projects that were to be built on the coast of Ceará were declared extinguished by the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel). The decision was formalized in a publication of individual resolutions for each licensing process. The agency assessed the environmental risks and the intervention proposals submitted by the responsible companies as out of standards, which could pose an environmental risk to the region’s fauna and flora. Furthermore, they were also considered outside the technical standards required by the regulatory guidelines approved in 2007.

Find Out Which Projects Were Extinguished by Aneel to Preserve Fauna and Flora

In the state of Ceará, the previously disclosed and extinguished projects were the offshore wind farms Caucaia and Asa Branca. The Grant of Authorization Request (DRO) for the Caucaia project had been submitted to Aneel in August 2016. The plant, managed by the company BI Energia LTDA, would use 48 haliade-x model wind turbines and was expected to have a maximum capacity of 576 Mega Watts (MW).

The Asa Branca project, managed by the company Eólica Brasil, has a more recent grant request, registered in January 2022. The project aimed to implement an offshore wind farm on the coast of Ceará, using 72 Vestas V236 model wind turbines. Therefore, the plant, which was extinguished due to potential harm to the region’s fauna and flora, would have a power generation capacity of 1,080 MW.

Companies Can Review and Adjust Projects to Avoid Harming Fauna and Flora

According to Aneel in its resolutions, the two offshore wind energy projects are impaired due to a supervening fact, in accordance with Article 14 of ANEEL Organization Norm No. 001, approved on July 10, 2007, by Normative Resolution No. 273.

Thus, in the legal and technical evaluation of the requests, Aneel concluded that the companies responsible for the extinguished projects had their requests for authorization of the proposed activities “impeded and “harmed” by events occurring after the request was made to the agency.

However, the extinction of the offshore wind energy projects does not prevent the responsible companies from reviewing the structure and complying with the new requirements set by Aneel. It is worth noting that, in addition to these projects in Ceará, the planned Votu Winds wind farm, which was to be installed in the municipalities of Marataízes, Piúma, Itapemirim, Presidente Kenedy, and São Francisco do Itabapoana, was also extinguished by Aneel.

Projects Under Review in Ceará

Aneel is extinguishing projects that do not comply with the environmental, regulatory, legal, and technical determinations set forth in the decree from December of last year. Another new set of regulatory actions and measures is expected to be published by the end of 2022 to regulate the use of offshore wind energy in the country.

Thus, in addition to meeting the published guidelines, the projects may remain valid and therefore obtain authorization for construction. To achieve this, they will need to align their respective actions with the agency’s decisions.

Discover Other Projects That Are Under Review in Ceará:

• Jangada, from Força Eólica do Brasil;
• Dragão do Mar, from Qair Marine Brasil;
• Camocim, from Camocim;
• Eirelli Alpha, from Alpha Wind Morro Branco.