State of Rio de Janeiro and Ocean Winds join forces to unlock offshore wind opportunities within the State

Ocean Winds, an international company dedicated to offshore wind energy and created as a 50-50 joint venture in 2020 by EDP Renewables and ENGIE, has embarked on a distinctive collaboration with the State of Rio de Janeiro through a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The signing of this partnership at a moment when the country aims to have the industry’s legal framework by the end of the year indicates a determined commitment to drive offshore wind projects within the State’s domains, while aligning with its renewable energy and economic development goals.

The official signing ceremony between Thiago Pampolha, acting Governor of Rio de Janeiro, and Bautista Rodriguez, CEO of Ocean Winds, happened today at the Palácio Guanabara, the administrative heart of Rio de Janeiro, on September 14, 2023.

The State of Rio de Janeiro, with its extensive coastline and favorable wind conditions holds tremendous potential to leverage these natural assets for stable and sustainable renewable power generation through offshore wind. OW’s pursuit of a license for the Ventos do Atlântico (5 GW) project in the region underscores its commitment to supporting and fostering Rio de Janeiro’s offshore wind potential, as well as revealing the socioeconomic benefits of the development of such projects, creating jobs and supply chain opportunities within the State.

“The state of Rio de Janeiro has the third longest coastline in the country – 636 km. Constant, unidirectional winds make part of the coast the perfect setting for offshore wind farms. The signing of this memorandum of understanding is another step towards decarbonizing the economy, towards sustainable development,” said the acting governor, Thiago Pampolha, during the document signing event.

Rafael Palhares, Business Development Director for Brazil and South America for Ocean Winds, said: “The partnership between Ocean Winds and the State of Rio de Janeiro showcases a shared dedication to harnessing the vast offshore wind potential of the State, serving as a catalyst not only for the energy transition of the region, but also for its economic development through a new industry and local employment opportunities. With an international and successful track record of unlocking offshore wind opportunities around our more than 17 GW of portfolio of secured projects, we are proud and excited to bring this expertise to the realization of the tremendous potential of Brazil for offshore wind energy.”

At its core, the MoU focuses on the development of socioeconomically and environmentally sustainable offshore wind energy projects in the maritime area of the State of Rio de Janeiro. This partnership focuses on supporting the region in its energy transition; the identification of promising avenues for the development of projects within the State’s borders in order to foster a new sustainable industry in the region, employment and economic development; and, last but not least, the conduct of thorough assessments in order to identify potential regulatory and fiscal barriers as well as opportunities for the realisation of projects.