‘Project in Rio Grande do Norte Is No Longer Just an Idea’ | Brazilian Institute Invites Partners to Join Offshore Wind Pilot

“The pilot plant project in Rio Grande do Norte is no longer just an idea, a dream. We are talking about something concrete, which exists”, said Rodrigo Mello, director at SENAI Institute for Innovation in Renewable Energies (ISI-ER) and its arm in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, SENAI-RN, as the institute announced an invitation to partners/investors to join Brazil’s first offshore wind project.

SENAI ISI-ER, SENAI-RN, and the company Dois A Engenharia e Tecnologia presented the multi-client notice at the Brazil Windpower event in São Paulo on 29 October.

The pilot is the first offshore wind energy project in Brazil to receive a preliminary license from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA).

In June this year, after the licence was granted, SENAI-RN told offshoreWIND.biz that it would begin the fundraising phase and the setup of the JIP for the first stage of the project, which includes the development of the basic and executive engineering design, along with a detailed timeline and budget.

The pilot offshore wind farm will have, among other functions, that of a test site, in real operating conditions, for future wind turbines that will be deployed in the Brazilian sea.

The project licensed by IBAMA provides for the installation of two wind turbines with a combined power of 24.5 MW some 4.5 kilometres offshore the Port-Island of Areia Branca.

The planned installation system is based on a model created by the Spanish company Esteyco, and licensed in Brazil by Dois A Engenharia. The approach makes it possible to fully assemble the towers on land and then take them to the offshore site, with the support of tugboats.

SENAI expects that the start of the operation will take place within 36 months, from the signing of the contract with the partner companies.

Announcing the public notice on 29 October, Rodrigo Mello said this marked the “day zero” of the process, with time allowed for the companies to analyse the conditions of participation in the project and formally express interest in the initiative.

The development of the pilot plant will follow the Joint Industry Project (JIP) model, which is planned to bring together SENAI-RN, through ISI-ER, Dois A Engenharia and investing companies interested in collaborating in the development, nationalisation and validation of the planned solutions.

“The plan is to attract partners interested in developing national technology and construction and logistics solutions for installing wind turbines in the conditions of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, that is, adapted to shallow waters, up to 70 meters deep”, said Rodrigo Mello.

Approximately BRL 42 million (around EUR 6.7 million) will be invested in the first stage of the project, which involves engineering and analysis of production conditions, with sharing of financial, technological and knowledge risks among the participants. 

According to the director of SENAI-RN, this phase will last for 16 to 18 months, from the signing of the contract with the group of investors. The contracts with partners/investors are expected to be signed in December this year, and the first stage of the project is scheduled to commence in April 2026.

The second stage, which is also expected to take around 18 months, will encompass “final engineering”, with construction, assembly, commissioning, testing and validation activities.

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