Ocean Winds (OW), the 50-50 joint-venture between ENGIE and EDP Renewables dedicated to offshore wind, has officially launched OW Brasil, a fully owned Brazilian company working on development opportunities of offshore wind projects in the country.
OW started in December 2020 to license five new offshore wind projects for a total capacity of 15 GW in the States of Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul.
“With a 11.2 GW portfolio of projects in seven countries, OW positioned itself as a pioneer leader in the offshore wind sector and aims at expanding its footprint,” says Bautista Rodríguez, OW’s CEO. “OW performs a strict market analysis and selection to ensure only countries with strong fundamentals are selected, and since 2020 Brazil shows a high potential for offshore wind projects. This is reinforced by the latest steps taken in the right direction for regulatory framework for offshore wind development in the country.”
Counting with the support of its sponsors, OW is seeking authorizations for Licença Prévia (Environmental Permit) at IBAMA for the following projects: Vento Tupi (1 GW), Maral (2 GW), Ventos do Atlântico (5 GW), Tramandaí offshore (700 MW) and Ventos do Sul (6.5 GW).
“The development of this new sector of activity in Brazil is an important opportunity to meet the growing demand for energy, develop green hydrogen projects, diversify the energy matrix, and thus ensure the country’s energy security with a renewable source that has a competitive cost for the consumer compared to fossil sources,” Rodríguez adds.
