Petrobras has submitted a request with IBAMA to start the environmental licensing process for 10 areas off Brazil for the development of offshore wind energy projects totalling 23GW.
Seven areas are in the north-east (three in Rio Grande do Norte, three in Ceará and one in Maranhão), two in the south-east (one in Rio de Janeiro and one in Espírito Santo) and one in the south of the country (Rio Grande do Sul).
The request to start licensing is a sign of Petrobras’ interest in developing its own projects, in addition to partnership projects, which continue to be a priority, such as the areas being studied jointly with Equinor.
The two companies are assessing the technical, economic and environmental viability of seven offshore wind power generation projects off the Brazilian coast, with the potential to generate up to 14.5GW.
This year, Petrobras completed a decade of offshore wind measurements and is intensifying wind measurement campaigns in some locations in the Brazilian sea, which are fundamental for assessing the technical feasibility of future offshore wind energy installations.
The area chosen in the state of Rio de Janeiro stands out from all the others already filed with IBAMA for offshore wind projects, as it is the only one positioned at a water depth greater than 100 metres, where it is not possible to use fixed foundations, driven directly into the seabed.
In this case, the installations have to be floating and their feasibility will open up possibilities for integrating and supplying energy to the company’s production platforms.
This type of request to IBAMA does not guarantee the right to the areas, which should only happen after a process to be conducted in accordance with the regulations under discussion in the National Congress.