Petrobras will install turbines on the coast of RN and RJ to test offshore wind energy generation

Petrobras will install two wind turbines by 2029 to test offshore wind generation on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte and Rio de Janeiro as part of research and development (R&D) initiatives, according to the executive director of energy transition, Maurício Tolmasquim. In parallel, the company already has four commercial projects being analyzed by internal governance bodies, in preparation to compete when the government holds the auction for the assignment of areas for this segment.

“We want to install two wind turbines to gain experience, analyze, prepare,” Tolmasquim told journalists during the Offshore Wind Summit, in Rio, this Tuesday (26/3). The company has already started conversations with the Union Heritage Secretariat (SPU) for access to the areas. At the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA), Petrobras filed requests to begin the environmental licensing process for ten areas in the Brazilian sea with strong potential for future development of offshore wind energy projects, three of which are in the State of Rio. Great North.

The company intends to install the Costa Branca I (1.45 GW), Costa Branca II (2.10 GW) and Ginga (1.06 GW) projects, passing through the sea from municipalities such as Galinhos, Guamaré, Macau, Porto do Mangue and White sand. The company plans to invest US$5.2 billion in wind and solar by 2028.

In the case of the Southeast, the location selected by Petrobras for the R&D project is close to Porto do Açu (RJ) and coincides with one of the areas in which Petrobras began licensing with Ibama to develop these projects.

The director explained that the company intends to talk to suppliers to bring the largest turbine available to the country for testing. The amount allocated to this project will come from the R&D funds foreseen in the state-owned company’s business plan. Petrobras’ 2024-2028 investment plan, announced in November last year, foresees US$3.6 billion for research, development and innovation over five years.

In total, Petrobras has requests from Ibama to license the development of 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind farms on the Brazilian coast, around 7GW of which are part of a partnership with Equinor.
According to Tolmasquim, the company began processing four commercial projects in internal governance areas to speed up analyzes to participate in the auction. Two projects are in areas in the Northeast, one in the Southeast and one in the South.

“We want to participate in the first auction for the transfer of areas, but to do so it is necessary to have a study, a preliminary analysis, so that when the auction takes place we are prepared”, he stated.

During his participation in the event, Tolmasquim highlighted that he believes that the legal framework for the sector being processed in the Senate is “reasonable”, but criticized the amendments added to the bill that do not address the issue of offshore wind farms.

“This is quite regrettable and is what is preventing us from having a regulatory framework for this sector in Brazil”, he stated.

According to the director, other challenges for the development of offshore wind generation projects in Brazil are the lack of maritime spatial planning and transmission network planning to accommodate the new projects. Furthermore, the director also cited environmental licensing and port infrastructure as issues that will require adaptations for the projects to move forward.

“The main challenge is knowing what the business model is and, if it depends on some government policy, we will have to have that policy,” he said. The supply chain is another point of concern. “A lot of things will have to come from abroad, but others will have to be done here too,” he said.

Offshore in RN
Ibama has already received 14 licensing requests for the installation of wind complexes offshore the coast of Rio Grande do Norte. They should be developed over the next decade and result, as predicted by the State Secretariat for Economic Development (Sedec/RN), in investments of around R$60 billion. According to the latest update of environmental licensing processes for offshore wind farms opened at Ibama until January 18, 2024, the 14 parks have the potential to generate 25.4 GW (GigaWatts). They extend along the northern coast of the State, between the regions where the municipalities of Touros and Areia Branca are located.

Petrobras projects at IBAMA RN
Costa Branca I – company Petroleo Brasileiro s/a – Petrobras – power 1.4 GW

Costa Branca II – company Petroleo Brasileiro s/a – Petrobras – power 2.1 GW

Ginga – company Petroleo Brasileiro s/a – Petrobras – Power 1 GW

US$ 3.6 billion is how much the 2024-2028 investment plan for research, development and innovation foresees in five years