A consortium led by Japan Blue Energy (JB Energy) has unveiled plans for what they say is Brazil’s first floating offshore wind pilot project in the waters off Rio Grande do Sul .
A letter of intent was signed by Sindienergia-RS, Portos RS, JB Energy, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Mingyang Energy, Technomar, ABEEólica, and Blue Aspirations Brasil.
The Aura Sul Wind floating offshore wind pilot project will feature Raijin Float technology. According to JB Energy, the platform is made of pre-cast and pre-stressed concrete and operates in deep waters. It is also designed to reduce installation cost and construction time by up to 50 per cent.
With an estimated investment of USD 100 million and based on Japanese technology, the pilot project is expected to be installed by 2030.
The tower, approximately 200 metres high, will feature a turbine with an expected capacity of 18 MW, which would be initially used to supply energy to the Port of Rio Grande.
“For now, it will be a platform. Once it proves viable, we will move into a commercial phase, supplying industry and cities with generation in the order of gigawatts with dozens of platforms,” said Rodolfo Gonçalves , an offshore wind energy specialist, advisor to JB Energy, and professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan.
“RS, due to its bathymetric conditions, with a region good for winds, has become very attractive for the floating platform. In addition, we will have a favorable port infrastructure with the Port of Rio Grande, which will serve as an assembly plant for the technology.”
Last year, a study conducted by DNV for the World Bank Group estimated that Brazil’s technical offshore wind potential exceeds 1,200 GW, comprising 480 GW from fixed-bottom and 748 GW from floating wind technologies.
At the beginning of 2025, the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, signed into law a bill that establishes regulations on allocating and permitting offshore wind development areas.