The Brazilian wind energy sector expects the government to announce the country’s first offshore wind auction during COP30 in Belém, according to Roberta Cox, director at the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). She argued that such an announcement is key to attracting investment, ensuring legal certainty, and stimulating the supply chain needed for offshore wind expansion.
Cox noted that while progress has been made—in June, the EPE and Ministry of Mines and Energy launched a public consultation to define criteria for project areas, and the ISI-RN secured the first federal environmental license for offshore wind in Latin America—uncertainties remain, leading some companies to scale back operations in Brazil.
She emphasized that offshore wind planning must be medium to long-term, since even with an auction today, actual power generation would only begin in eight to ten years. Major challenges include insufficient transmission infrastructure, financing difficulties, and environmental licensing hurdles. Nonetheless, demand for renewable energy is growing, driven by sectors such as data centers, transport, agriculture, industry, and future production of green hydrogen and ammonia. For Cox, if the auction is announced at COP30, it will serve as an institutional milestone demonstrating Brazil’s commitment to opening a new frontier in clean energy.
Photo: Canva
