Japanese company, green hydrogen developer submit offshore wind applications in Brazil

Brazil’s Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA) is reviewing 67 applications for environmental investigation licences for offshore wind projects, totalling almost 170 GW. Twelve new projects have entered the process since the end of April, including those from a green hydrogen developer and a Japanese company, with the latter proposing six 3 GW offshore wind farms.

As reported in April, IBAMA was already processing 55 applications for a total capacity of 133 GW by that time, with the oil and gas giants TotalEnergies, Shell, and Equinor already known to be behind several of the proposed offshore wind farms.

Many of the wind farms have been proposed by European offshore and floating wind developers, including the biggest project, the 6.5 GW Ventos do Sul, developed by Ocean Winds-owned Ventos de Atlântico.

Now, with twelve more applications undergoing the process to get a site investigation permit, the capacity under review climbed to 169.4 GW as of 11 August.

New projects emerging since the spring have been proposed by Eólica Brasil, Kaanda R. M. Cunha, Shizen Energia do Brasil, and H2 Green Power.

The Brazilian arm of the Japanese company Shizen Energy has applied for environmental investigation permits for six offshore wind farms, each with a capacity of 3 GW. Four of these are planned to be built offshore the state of Rio Grande do Sul and two offshore Ceará.

Rio Grande do Sul and Ceará are leading in the number of projects proposed to be built in their waters, with 21 and 19 proposals so far, respectively.

The two states have also been chosen by Neoenergia, Iberdrola’s subsidiary in Brazil, which plans to build a 3 GW offshore wind farm in each of them, as well as in Rio de Janeiro.

In Rio Grande do Sul, Neoenergia recently also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State Government to pursue the development of offshore wind generation and a project for the production of green hydrogen.

Neoenergia had earlier also entered an agreement with the state of Ceará for an urban mobility project that will use green hydrogen.

Green hydrogen production as an option for some of the massive offshore wind farms planned in Brazil is becoming more likely both with tens of agreements recently signed between the states and private companies, and dedicated green hydrogen developers now also joining the offshore wind application process.

Namely, one of the latest offshore wind submissions to IBAMA has also been made by H2 Green Power, a green hydrogen developer which had also signed an agreement with the Government of Ceará for green hydrogen production at the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex.

In the state, the company plans to build a 3 GW offshore wind farm comprising 200 Siemens Gamesa 15 MW wind turbines.

Qair, which has a 1.2 GW offshore wind plan in this Brazilian state, has also entered into an agreement with the Ceará Government to power a green hydrogen plant at the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex with offshore wind, according to EPBR.

At the beginning of this year, the Government of Brazil issued a Decree which will enable the implementation of necessary offshore studies and the identification of areas suitable for the development of offshore wind projects.

Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy will be in charge of carrying out the studies, selecting the offshore wind zones, as well as organising subsequent auctions.